Grains of Falling Sand
by cyko1003
Summary: [DannyLindsay] Neither wants to admit nor face the feelings they have for one another, but what happens when the feelings become too strong to fight? My first fic... Enjoy! and please R&R! [Chapter 10, final chapter, posted July 6th]
1. Chapter 1: One Of Those Days

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters are mine, just the cheesy storyline.

**AN:** My first FanFic – hope you enjoy – please R&R :)

**Grains of Falling Sand**

**Chapter 1 – One Of Those Days**

MEEP! MEEP! MEEP!

Lindsay rolled over started slapping around her night table, looking for her alarm clock, desperate to stop the incessant beeping that blared by her head. She grumbled something incoherent as she stared at the red numbers. She hadn't slept well the night before, and the last thing she wanted was to get out of bed. Grudgingly, she dragged her body towards the shower.

She stood under the water for awhile, letting it run down her back. Had she not been standing, she would have fallen back asleep right there. _It's just going to be one of those days, _she thought. The team had been busier than usual lately, and the stress was beginning to catch up. There was a stack of paperwork on her desk waiting for her, but the new cases seemed to be coming in faster than she could handle. Everyone had been working nearly around the clock to keep up.

Her subway ride to the lab gave no indication that her day would begin to look up. One of the routes was running behind schedule, resulting in more people than usual in Lindsay's car. She shoved her way through the herds of people towards one of the only remaining hand supports. A man reeking of BO stood in front of her, garbling something incoherent to the woman sitting in front of him; she was obviously trying to ignore him. It didn't take Lindsay long to catch the strong smell of scotch on his breath. She looked at her watch. _It's only 8am!_ she thought. She sighed and tried to get a mental head start on her paperwork before her stop finally arrived.

The walk from the subway to the lab wasn't a long one – only two blocks. But this morning, it seemed miles away. Normally, the early-morning bustle of patrons on the New York sidewalks didn't phase Lindsay – in fact, she took comfort in it. Back in Montana, everything was always still and silent. Most of the inhabitants of Montana couldn't even fathom the busyness that was New York. But this morning, the close proximity of everyone around her hustling to their offices just annoyed her. She would have loved nothing more to just stick out her elbows and plough them all over. Instead, she just put her head down and heavily strode towards her destination.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally reached the lab, miraculously, on time. With her head still down and her mind in a million different places, she yanked open the door and made her way towards the elevator. She pressed the 'up' button, and was surprised when the elevator doors didn't open immediately, like she was used to. She looked up at the red numbers shining above the three lifts. More often than not, they read 'G'. Of course, this morning's situation was different. Two read 'IS' – G_reat_. _In Service._ The other was on the 10th floor… 11th floor… 12th floor… _Ugh. It's going to be ages 'til that comes back down… and I don't much feel like taking the stairs up to the 17th floor. _She sighed heavily. _Definitely one of those days._

_

* * *

_

Lindsay pushed open her office door with much more force than she meant to. It swung backwards and slammed against the wall; the noise made her jump. She closed her eyes and let out a puff of air.

"Geez, Lindsay, where's the fire?" said a voice from her doorway. She looked up to see Flack standing there, looking concerned but amused.

Feeling embarrassed that she called attention to herself, which was the last thing she wanted this morning, she tried to brush off the question. "No fire, Flack," she said sheepishly, "just have a lot to do today."

"Yeah-huh, sure. And the reason you blatantly ignored me, then nearly ran be over when you got out of the elevator was…?" Flack asked, a sceptical tone in his voice.

Lindsay hadn't seen or heard him. She blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry Flack," she stammered, "It's just been one of those mornings, and I really do have a ton of stuff to do today. I'm hoping that no new cases come up – I have enough paperwork here to get me through the next few days. There's been so many new cases that I've fallen a bit behind."

Flack sighed. "Well, if it's any consolation, you escaped having to go out into the field this morning – A call came in about a half-hour before you arrived. Danny and Hawkes were already here, so they went to process. You don't have to go join them though – Danny called to say that the scene was pretty contained, and it wouldn't take he and Hawkes long to collect everything. They'll probably need your help to process when they get back here with the evidence, but in the meantime, you've got a bit of freedom to, well, do your paperwork."

It did make Lindsay feel a bit better. This was definitely not the morning she wanted to be running around the city collecting evidence. She didn't mind being in the lab, especially on a day like today – though there was bustle and quiet conversations going on around her, she could easily tune it all out just concentrate on what she was doing, not having to worry about talking to officers and witnesses on the scene. Not today, at least.

"Thanks, Flack," she responded.

Flack smiled in return. He turned to leave, then turned back around to Lindsay.

"By the way, Danny took it upon himself this morning to book a limo to take us to the gala tomorrow night. Apparently trying to stuff ourselves into Stella's van like we did last year was just unacceptable to him. Taking two cars was evidently out of the question, so we're roped into this limo thing now. Ah well, at least we'll arrive in style. Double-check with Danny, but I believe he's arranged for us to be picked up here at 5:45."

Right. The Gala. Lindsay had completely forgotten about it. Every year, the NYPD put on a fundraising gala, and of course, it was a black-tie event. Lindsay really only had two fancy dresses to choose from, and Mac and Danny had already seen her green one – she had worn it to the opera one night, but had to leave to process a crime scene. She hadn't had time to change. At least she wouldn't have to stand in front of her wardrobe trying to figure out what to wear; she just hoped the other dress would be fancy enough.

"Thanks, I do suppose it's easier than trying to drive separately." They said their goodbyes, and Flack disappeared down the hall, closing her office door on his way out.

Lindsay absent-mindedly followed him with her eyes until he was out of sight, her thoughts now torn between the stack of papers on her desk, and the Gala tomorrow night.

* * *

Lindsay felt as though she was in a daze as she went about the lab, processing the evidence from Danny and Hawkes' crime scene that morning. She was vaguely aware of the people around her, but not really paying attention to anyone.

"Montana? Hello? Are you even listening?"

Lindsay snapped out of her fog, and looked up to see Danny and Hawkes staring at her expectantly. She had no idea that they had even been talking to her. The two stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, until she broke the silence.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What was it you wanted?"

"I said, the limo is coming at 5:30 tomorrow, not 5:45 like Flack has apparently been telling everyone."

"Ah, alright, noted. Thanks for letting me know – showing up late and missing the ride would not have gone over well." She smiled, hoping her embarrassment wasn't showing.

"Excellent, that's what I like to hear," he grinned. Lindsay just returned the smile, then went back to her processing. She had been so distracted and disgruntled by her morning, that she hadn't put together the fact that the _whole _team was going to be at this Gala. And that included Danny. She found herself now wondering if her red dress was going to be enough. Danny picked up his kit and began to unpack his tape lifts. He settled in on the opposite end of Lindsay's workbench; Hawkes announced he was going to take the surveillance tapes over to the A/V lab and have Adam see if he could find anything useful on them.

Lindsay did her best to focus her attention on the print in front of her, but she found her thoughts consistently and stubbornly being stuck on the topic of the Gala. What was worse was that after awhile, she found it wasn't just her thoughts that were wandering. Every so often, she caught herself looking up to steal a glance at Danny. She wasn't even sure why – there was just something about him that piqued her interest. Sid had told her that Danny had a crush on her, but she hadn't dared tell Danny that. She had sort of suspected it, but wasn't sure since Danny was known for being a bit of a ladies' man… Well, that was a lie, he had a reputation for being a _lot_ of a ladies' man. And further to that, she wasn't even sure _she_ had worked out her thoughts on him…and yet, she couldn't seem to purge him from her thoughts.

"Montana? Something I can help you with?" She froze as she realized she'd been caught staring. _Crap._

"Uh, no," she stammered, "I was just trying to put some context to this evidence, and must have zoned out trying to place it." She doubted Danny bought it – she was a terrible liar.

Danny looked at her incredulously, with one eyebrow raised. "Alright then… you know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were staring at me." There was an underlying tone of skepticism in his voice.

Lindsay wasn't sure if she had actually been caught in her lie or not, but she wasn't about to find out. She gathered some of her samples and headed to the toxicology lab, doing her best to keep her thoughts off of Danny and the Gala. She could figure it out tonight when she was alone.


	2. Chapter 2: Nik's Place

**Chapter 2 – Nik's Place**

Luckily, no more calls came in for her that day, and Lindsay was able to spend her time between helping out with the case processing, and working on her own paperwork. She was feeling better by the day's end – she didn't think she would have been able to cope with another ridiculously busy day, as it had been in the last few weeks. She was grateful to have time to herself.

And as much as it excited her to be in close proximity to Danny, whether it be processing a scene or evidence in the lab, or simply getting information from a witness, she was glad that she hardly crossed paths with him today. Not that she didn't want to see him – it was more that she was already nervous enough for the Gala that she didn't need the extra anxiousness bubbling up inside her.

She had just begun gathering up her belongings from her office, when she was interrupted by a knock at her door. She looked up to see Flack standing there, in the same pose he had that morning.

"Hey Lindsay," he said smoothly. "Hawkes, Danny, and I are heading to Nik's Place for dinner. Danny's fridge broke last night, so he's got no food, and guilt-tripped us into going with him for dinner instead tonight. Thought I'd see if you were interested – you could probably use some nice atmosphere, judging by the warpath you were burning this morning."

Lindsay laughed at his comment, and thought about it. She had been looking forward to spending the night alone, but she also had a hard time saying no to the opportunity to hang out with Danny outside of work. But in the end, she decided against it. She wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get everything she was going to need for the gala ready, that way she wouldn't have to worry about rushing around at the last minute tomorrow night.

"Thanks for the offer Flack," she replied slowly, "but I think I'm just going to take it easy tonight. I have a few things I need to get in order before tomorrow, so I should do that while I still have time."

"You sure?" Flack asked.

"Yeah, but thanks for the invite – I'll come out to the next one for sure!"

"I'm holding you to that," Flack laughed. "Have a good night, enjoy your you-time."

Lindsay smiled as he walked out. She had barely resumed getting the last of her stuff together, when she was again interrupted.

"Montana, don't give me any of this 'me-time' business, you're coming with us," said Danny, very matter-of-factly.

"Um, why?" asked Lindsay, feeling a bit flustered. _What was going on?_

"Look Montana. Don't think that I'm making a habit of this, but Flack mentioned this morning that you seemed to be having a pretty crappy day. I arranged this outing purposely so that you could come out with us and take your mind off things. Besides, the only food I have in my house is questionable, so unless you're planning on inviting me over for dinner, you're coming with us. Besides, the atmosphere is far more boring when you're not there."

Lindsay just stared at him in disbelief. He specifically _wanted_ her there? That was different…

A look of surprise crossed Danny's face, as he realized how what he said could have been interpreted. He racked his brain for a recovery (not to mention trying to conceal the fact that he really wanted to spend some time outside of work with her), but nothing sounded right. Eventually, he took the cheap way out and replied, "Stop stalling by staring at me like that – I've done enough attempting to interpret facial expressions for one day. You're coming with us." And with that, he walked over to her, swiped cell phone, and jogged out of her office, knowing that she couldn't go home without it, and would inevitably end up coming out with them.

"Danny!" Lindsay called after him, but he pretended not to hear her. She scooped up her purse and ran after him towards the elevators, where Flack and Hawkes stood, both laughing.

"So what, my invitation isn't good enough for you Monroe?" joked Flack.

"At least you gave me a choice! Messer the bully over here wasn't quite so nice about it," Lindsay replied, glaring at Danny, but a playful grin made its way across her face. She grabbed her cell phone out of Danny's hand, and put it safely inside her purse. Inside, she was happy that Danny pulled that little stunt – if he had asked her in the first place himself, she knew she wouldn't've been able to say no to him, but at least this way, he gave her an excuse to come along.

But why did he do it in the first place? She had had a bad morning… so what? _Don't jump to conclusions, Lindsay, you'll just end up disappointing yourself. _She followed the guys out of the elevator and across the street.

* * *

Nik's Place was a simple restaurant, with some pool tables and a few TV screens showing various sports events – overall, your typical sports pub. Lindsay knew the guys frequented this place, but she had only been twice previously, both times with Stella on their lunch breaks. She was surprised that the didn't come here more often – it was one of the only good places to eat that was walking distance from the lab. The atmosphere was much different this time – even the guys noticed that it was busier than normal. As Danny looked up at one of the television screens, he realized why. Stanley Cup finals. Edmonton Oilers versus Carolina Hurricanes.

Danny led the way through the crowd, finding a booth for four not too far into the restaurant. He allowed Lindsay to slide in first, then smoothly took the seat across from her. Hawkes claimed the other half of Lindsay's booth, while Flack slipped in next to Danny.

A bubbly blonde came up to their table. "Hi! Welcome to Nik's!" she greeted them. Danny couldn't help but notice she was staring right at him. He stole a glance at Lindsay, who appeared to have noticed the same thing. Danny grinned. "Few pitchers to start would be just fine," he ordered. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Great!" replied the waitress, as she practically skipped away, blonde hair bobbing behind her.

"Careful, Messer, you'll start drooling if you don't watch it," Lindsay teased. Flack and Hawkes laughed along.

* * *

It was the second intermission of the game, not that any of the CSIs were paying attention. They'd look up whenever a team scored, but for the most part, the game might as well have not been on. Lindsay found herself having a great time, much more than she had anticipated. She had also noticed, though, the curiously great service they were receiving, and how the waitress seemed to only be aware of Danny at the table. But why did that bother her? She found herself cringing and glaring at the blonde every time she came by – she doubted Danny noticed anything out of the ordinary; after all, this sort of situation was normal for him. But still… why was it irking her so?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the chime of Flack's cell phone.

"Flack… yeah… sure… just him? I have three of them here… alright, got it… be there in 15."

Danny looked at Flack quizzically. "Got a call?"

"Yeah, DB over at 73rd and Park. Looks like an argument gone wrong – Mac's already got the likely shooter in custody – he just asked for Hawkes to come and do some simple processing… said there's no need to bring everyone out," Flack said. He looked over at Hawkes. "We'd better get going. You two going to be alright here?"

Danny laughed. "Sure, we'll be fine. Assuming Monroe's not scared of me or anything."

Lindsay just rolled her eyes. "I'm petrified." She turned her attention to Flack. "We'll be fine – give a call if you need some help and we'll come over."

Hawkes got up and smiled. "Thanks – enjoy the rest of the game," he said, dropping some money on the table for the bill later on. "Bye!" he said, as he and Flack walked towards the exit.

"Just us then, Montana. Think you can handle it?" joked Danny.

"Oh please, you give yourself too much credit."

Danny's reply was drowned out by sounds of cheering, as one of the teams scored. The only response she was able to receive was the boyish grin he flashed her… the grin that drew out an equally giddy one from her.

* * *

Hawkes and Flack walked towards the exit; Hawkes noticed that Flack had a stupidly silly smirk on his face.

"What's up with you?" inquired Hawkes.

"Oh come on, you couldn't see it? You could take the tension between those two and throw it at someone, and it'd do some serious damage!"

Hawkes was shocked. He had thought maybe there was something, but couldn't believe the stunt Flack just pulled. "You mean that wasn't Mac on the phone?"

Flack laughed. "No, that was Mac – he was just wondering where I left a file, but it turned out that he just lost it under the pile of junk on his desk. He hung up rather quickly – I just staged the rest of the conversation." Flack seemed to be extremely pleased with himself. He looked at his watch. "If we hurry, we can walk to The Merchant down the street and get there before the third period starts."

"You're unbelievable!" mused Hawkes, as they walked towards the other sports bar.

* * *

Lindsay wasn't sure how she felt about being left alone with Danny. On the one hand, she was thrilled that she was going to get to spend some time with him, but on the other hand, completely nervous. She wasn't sure she trusted herself not to do anything she'd kick herself for later, be it shameless flirting or otherwise, particularly after a few pints. She'd been housing a crush on Danny since her first day on the job - there was just something about him that made her flare inside, even though he sometimes drove her absolutely out of her mind. But as she grew more comfortable in the lab, she found herself disappointed when she'd find out she and Danny were assigned to different cases. But even then, they always found some way to interact, though she couldn't be sure if it was by her own doing, or his. It always just sort of ... happened.

She was yanked out of her thoughts by another loud cheer around her. The fans in the bar seemed to be pretty split between the two teams.

She took in a breath, wanting to say something, anything, but being cautious not to let the beer speak for her. "Thanks for making me come out tonight – today has been rather hectic, and as much as I really couldn't afford it time-wise, I really needed this night out. So thanks for that." She smiled at him; he returned the sentiment.

"Anytime, Montana. Just don't expect me to bail you out of a crappy day every time. Can't have everyone at the office thinking I'm Mister Sensitive or anything." He took a sip of his beer and turned his attention to the television. Lindsay followed his gaze. Only a few minutes left to go in the 3rd period, and it was tied 4-4.

"Looks like the game is going into over—" but she was cut off as Carolina scored with only minutes remaining, making it 5-4. "Guess not," she corrected herself. Danny just grinned. She couldn't be sure if it was the effect the alcohol was having on her, or if it was just the swooning girl inside her that she was constantly shoving deeper down, but every time he flashed that gorgeous smile in her direction, she could feel her protective walls coming down just a bit.

Lindsay looked at her watch – 11:30. She knew she really had to get going – as much as she wanted to stay with Danny, she knew she had to take a few minutes to get her Gala stuff together anyway. "I really should get going, Danny – still have to get up for work in the morning, and so do you." She fished for her wallet, but Danny was quick to stop her.

"Don't worry about it Montana – I've got this. No, don't even—" he saw she was trying to protest "—try to do that. I told you, I've got this. And if you give me an issue, you can walk home."

Lindsay just smiled, a bit surprised, and put her wallet away. They stood up together, and began to make their way through the extremely rowdy crowd. Danny led the way, but Lindsay struggled to stay close to him. The Carolina fans were all cheering and celebrating their team's victory, while the Edmonton fans still looked shocked and in disbelief.

"Hey! Leaving so soon!" came an overly-bubbly voice from Lindsay's left. She cringed. The blonde waitress had been driving her nuts all night, coming by to the table every 5 minutes to gawk at Danny. She noticed that she had also been staying for longer after Flack and Hawkes left. The attention she was giving Danny made her insanely jealous. Worse, Danny was flirting back, but he probably didn't even realize it… Just who he was.

"Hey, yeah," he said, walking over to the bar. Lindsay followed him. "We're just heading out – game is over and we have to work tomorrow anyway." Lindsay blocked out the waitress' response – she didn't want to hear the cheesy line she was bound to give him back, nor did she want to be listening when she tried to slip him her phone number. She turned her attention to the restaurant's patrons on her other side.

"Hey there, sweetness," said the burly man on her left, apparently noticing she was ignoring Danny. "Your boyfriend's being awful friendly with that hot waitress over there." He was very large, and stunk of alcohol – he had obviously had more than his share of drinks for the night. His clothes looked as though they hadn't been washed in ages, and his hair was greasy and matted. His words slightly slurred together.

Lindsay scowled at the man. "Not my boyfriend," she said curtly, looking away. _Not in reality, anyway, _she thought.

"Oh, well, in that case, let me buy you a drink." The man began to motion towards the bartender, but Lindsay interrupted.

"No, thanks, we're just on our way out."

"Oh come on now sweetness, that's no way to treat a gentleman. Your friend's clearly occupied anyway."

"I said, no thank you." Lindsay was quickly growing irritated with this man, who apparently would not let up. She suppressed the urge to throw back a sarcastic comment about him referring to himself as a 'gentleman'. She mentally willed Danny to finish talking to the blonde bimbo and get out of there.

"Bartender!" shouted the man, "Two beers over here, one of me, and one for this pretty lady." He grinned stupidly.

Lindsay interjected. "No, just one for this man, nothing for me." She felt the man put his hand on her arm.

"Now listen here – it's not nice to turn down a friendly gesture. Just sit with me for awhile. Your friend's not going anywhere for awhile." He reached up towards her face.

Lindsay instinctively backed away from him, bumping into Danny. Danny Turning, he noticed Lindsay trying to distance herself from a very drunk, very shady-looking man.

"Hey there," he said coolly, "anything I can help you with?" He ignored the waitress' hand on his arm, obviously trying to turn his attention back to her.

"No thanks man, just checking out your friend here, who apparently doesn't know how to accept a nice gesture from a flattering guy." He was practically drooling.

Lindsay regained her balance, then looked at Danny. "Can we get going?"

"What's the rush there, hun?" This man just was not letting up, and it was beginning to irritate Danny. "Man, why are you so protective? If you're not dating her, then why can't anyone else?" He stood up to face Danny.

Danny felt himself tense up. The man easily had fifty pounds on him, plus a solid four inches. Lindsay stood between them, practically disappearing between the much larger frames of the two men. Wanting to avoid a confrontation, Lindsay put one hand on each of their chests, though she was slightly more apprehensive to touch the drunk guy. "Now, now, boys. It's late, and," she turned to the drunk man, "as much as I appreciate the offer for a drink, I do need to get home – work in the morning."

The man just glared at her, then up at Danny, then back to Lindsay. He did not look too pleased with Lindsay's response, but slowly took a step backwards. Lindsay breathed a sigh of relief. She had just begun to lower her arms, when the man grabbed her arm, a deranged, flaming look in his eye. She quickly returning her hand to Danny's shirt, grabbing it – he had already turned to walk out, assuming Lindsay was right behind him.

"Hey man, let her go, we just went through this," warned Danny.

"Back off. You're not dating her…" He lowered his head to Lindsay. "All I want is a date to get to know you better. This guy clearly has no interest in you, so why not give someone a chance to treat you nicely."

Lindsay tried to release herself from his grasp, but his grip on her wrist was firm. She could feel Danny's hand on her shoulder, as he moved up beside her, trying to put himself between her and the man. She still hadn't let go of Danny's shirt.

"I said, back off." Danny's voice was firm and steady. He had one finger pointed at him. Lindsay had to struggle to keep herself from grinning blissfully. She loved listening to Danny's voice when it carried this tone – the low grumble was smooth, sexy, and intimidating. _Dammit, Lindsay, this isn't the time!_ she thought to herself angrily. Unfortunately, Danny's tone was not having the desired effect on the man.

"Look buddy. She's free to do what she wants. Come on, babe, let me take you away from this jerk." He pulled her out of Danny's grasp, but Danny had had enough. He swiftly swung a fist towards the man, clocking him in the cheek. The quick distraction was enough for Lindsay to release herself from the man's grasp, and she moved herself behind Danny. But at the same time, the man used his other arm to throw a punch back. Danny ducked, not realizing Lindsay had moved; the man's fist caught her jaw. His coordination was sloppy enough that he didn't get a clean shot, but the fact that Lindsay wasn't expecting it made it worse.

Danny turned to Lindsay, then turned back to the man, who was holding his face.

"Oh NOW you've gone and done it," he said, biting his tongue. Danny delivered a smooth upper-cut to the jaw, but was rewarded by a swinging fist to the side of his mouth. Danny grabbed him by the shirt, forcing him against the bar. He could feel Lindsay's hands on his shoulders trying to get him off, but now he was just fuming, and he could taste his blood in his mouth.

"Don't… you… _ever_…" he seethed, "touch her." He gave the man a shove, letting go of his shirt. He touched his hand to his mouth, a scowled at the blood on it. He turned around to face Lindsay. "Go," he said, placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her out.


	3. Chapter 3: Aftermath

**Chapter 3 – Aftermath **

Danny wasted no time in hailing a cab.

"Danny, why are you getting us a cab?" Lindsay asked, obviously confused by his actions.

"I drove here this morning, and I assumed that Flack would be able to drive us back, but I've had too much to drink, and I'm far too infuriated to put you in a car with me right now. So instead, we'll take a cab home." Lindsay was a bit dismayed that Danny's response seemed so short, but then again, she could practically see the smoke billowing out of his ears.

They shared the cab ride to Lindsay's apartment in silence. A few times she looked over at Danny, but he stared intently out the window the entire time. When they arrived, Lindsay was surprised to see Danny getting out of the cab, too.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm coming up with you," he said, handing some money to the driver. "I want to make sure you're alright, then I'll just take another cab back to my place." Lindsay began to open her mouth to say she was fine, but Danny cut her off. "Please, Monroe, don't argue with me about this. It's my fault you got hit – I moved, and exposed you, so just let me feel a bit better about it by taking a look." And with that, he turned around and began walking to the front doors.

Lindsay just sighed. Normally, she would have protested more – the one side of her face was already swelling, but she didn't want to argue with Danny, not with him in this mood anyway. He was pissed enough; she thought it best not to add fuel to the fire.

She led him up to her apartment. It was on the 6th and top floor of the building, with no elevator. She had had a hell of a time trying to move in – the movers were definitely disgruntled at having to carry all her furniture up the very narrow (and poorly ventilated) staircase.

Danny, though, was at least relieved to get the mini-workout. It gave him chance to calm down a bit. He had never been to Lindsay's apartment before, though he was not surprised when he saw her front door. Under the brass number '20' was the word 'WELCOME', hand-painted on a quaint birdhouse. He laughed inwardly. _Typical country girl._

Once she opened her door, though, he didn't waste more than a second taking in his surroundings. He took her hand and led her directly to the kitchen, where he started rummaging for ice and a clean cloth. Ice was easy enough to find – the freezer's location was rather self-explanatory – but he didn't want to use a dirty cloth to wrap the ice in.

"Where do you keep clean cloths?" he asked.

Lindsay turned around and opened a small door in the wall just outside the kitchen, and returned with two white facecloths.

"I figure you'll need one for yourself too," she said, handing them over.

Danny didn't say anything. The swelling on the left side of her face was already evident. He turned her head under the light to get a better look. Swollen, but would probably go within a few days. It would have been a lot worse if that man had gotten a clean shot at her. Using his left hand to steady her head, he slowly placed the ice against her jaw.

"How's that?" he asked.

She looked at him; her breath caught in her throat, as she read the concern written all across his expression. She was suddenly very aware how close he was standing to her… and the fact that he basically had one hand on either side of her face. She gave him a small smile and forced herself to tear her eyes away from his. "S'fine," she managed to get out, through the now-limited mobility of her mouth. "You should take care of your lip…"

"Right… right…" he said, stepping back. "Where's your bathroom?"

She pointed down the hall. "Last door on the right."

"Thanks." He picked up the spare facecloth that she brought out earlier, then made his way to the bathroom. Lindsay's gaze followed him the whole way. _What are you doing, Lindsay?_ she asked herself. It didn't make sense. She couldn't make heads or tails of it… and that scared her.

She sighed, and walked over to her couch, plopping onto it. She could hear the water being turned off and on in the bathroom. Soon afterwards, Danny came out, holding his makeshift ice pack against his lip. He sat down beside her.

"I'm going to beat Flack tomorrow," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He looked over at her, grinning, though she could only see one side of his mouth.

"Why only Flack?" she asked. "Mac and Hawkes are equally as guilty…" She flipped through the channels of her television. Nothing good was ever on at midnight.

"Well, Mac's my boss. Somehow, I don't see telling him off for doing his job will go too well. And Hawkes… he's just too…" Lindsay was looking at him, expectantly. "…nice. Hitting him would be like hitting a kid. Flack can at least hold his own."

They sat in silence for awhile, watching what was on the television, but neither paying particular attention. Every so often, one would sneak a glance at the other, hoping but hoping not to get caught. _This must be a pretty funny sight to an outsider,_ Lindsay thought to herself. _Two of us sitting here, complete silence, black and blue faces. Awesome. _She smiled inwardly, and looked over at Danny. This time, though, he caught her. She expected an awkward smile from him, but received a totally different reaction instead.

"I'm sorry, Montana," Danny said slowly.

Lindsay just looked at him, surprised. He bore an expression she hadn't seen before on him, and she had trouble placing it. He looked distraught and confused, as though he was having his own personal mental battle. As she would soon find out, he was.

He looked away briefly, then looked back, a solemn expression on his face. He took a deep breath, looking back absent-mindedly at the television. "When the guy started to get rough, I didn't make sure you were out of the way – I didn't check to make sure you weren't in his line of fire. Instead, I just ducked in an effort to save myself, and ended up exposing you. I should have made sure that I knew where you were, and in that case, I shouldn't've let him get you." He looked down into his lap, then over at Lindsay. "And now look what's happened, you've got a wicked bruise on that jaw – he could have broken it. I've seen busted jaws before – Louie's, not mine – it's not pretty. His jaw had to be wired in place for six weeks while the bone repaired itself. It was pretty bad." He sighed, then sat back into the couch, looking up at the ceiling. "I just should have—"

"Danny, stop it," Lindsay said, cutting him off. "In no way do I blame you for what happened, and I'm not even that hurt; I was far enough away that he didn't get a clean hit. I moved behind you – you didn't realize it – I should have put my hand on your back or something to let you know I was there, and no longer beside you. Besides, what good would it have done? For you to instead take a harder hit? He would have done far more damage on you, had you not moved. Plus, if you think about it, then that punch you did take would have been in the same place as the first – could you imagine what shape your lip would be in then? I'd probably be dislodging your teeth from your throat." Lindsay smiled, hoping to make him feel less guilty. She didn't blame him for her getting hurt, not even for a second. Besides, she was a big girl – she didn't need him to protect her, though she was flattered by his apparent desire to do so.

"I know," he said slowly, still looking at the ceiling, "but still…"

"No," Lindsay said firmly. "Don't even do that. We're both fine, and we both know that sometimes, shit happens. Hell, our job does a pretty good job at teaching us that lesson, so of all people, we understand that. Sure, it could have been much worse – at least you didn't end up starting a brawl in there! That many intoxicated people… yeesh, that would have been ugly!"

Danny cracked a bit of a smile, but didn't say anything. Lindsay shimmied a bit closer to him, and placed her hand on his arm. "Danny, it's fine. I'm fine. You're fine. It's all good. Now, if you don't snap out of this mood, _I'm_ going to slug you. And trust me, country girls know how to punch."

Danny just laughed, looking at her. "I don't doubt that – though another time I may have to test it out."

Lindsay smiled – at least she got through to him. She understood his guilt, though it wasn't his fault. Sometimes, though, you just blame yourself for things that were out of your control. She settled back into the couch, only half-watching the comedian on the television in front of her.

* * *

Lindsay stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. Everything around her was bleary – where was she? Her surroundings were familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. She blinked a few times, trying to focus, but her eyes weren't cooperating. In front of her, she could see something bright, with shapes moving around… and talking. The television. She started to sit up, but was met with resistance. She had been sleeping with her arms crossed in front of her chest, like she did every night, but when she looked down, she found another set of arms there too. Putting the night together in her head, she realized she and Danny must have fallen asleep watching TV. She smiled to herself – she had imagined being in his arms, but she never imagined it could have felt as good as this. She could have woken him up, or slipped out of his embrace and moved to her own bedroom. Instead, she chose bliss – she snuggled into him, grinning. She closed her eyes, feeling his arms tighten around her.

* * *

Danny awoke to his neck stiffening. He looked down – Lindsay was sleeping. She had begun to doze off while they were watching television – he noticed her head bobbing as she fought exhaustion. He had gently lowered her until she was lying down, her head on the pillow atop his lap. He later fell asleep sitting up, with his neck hanging over the back of the couch at a most unpleasant angle. He looked around – he would make too much noise if he attempted to find his belongings in the darkness, and if he left now, he'd end up leaving her apartment door unlocked. Instead, he decided to just stay in her apartment for the night… but where? It wouldn't make any sense to sleep in Lindsay's bed, and she didn't have a guest room – he had noticed that earlier when he went to her bathroom. But could he stay here on the couch with her? Was that any more appropriate? After a brief mental battle, he decided the couch was the least of three evils. Slowly, he shifted the pillow Lindsay lay on, lifting it just enough to pull his feet up and extend himself over the length of her couch, between her body and the couch's back. As he lowered the pillow down, he put his other arm over her top as to not roll her off the couch (how awkward would _that_ have been to explain!). He lay there for a moment, the scent of her hair clouding his brain. He closed his eyes, but re-opened them when he felt her stir. He stayed perfectly still, leaving his arms around her, hoping that his shifting hadn't woken her up. After a moment, he felt her body relax… and then move in, closer to his. He smiled, softly pulling her body to his. He fell asleep, his head resting against hers.

* * *

**AN: **Hope you enjoyed – more on the way. Reviews are appreciated (remember it's my first!) 


	4. Chapter 4: Uncertainty

**Chapter 4 – Uncertainty**

Danny awoke to a muffled MEEPING noise. He opened his eyes, squinting at the sunlight beaming in through the window. The clock on the DVD player read 6:45. He drew in a deep breath, then looked around, surveying the situation as it would be. He smiled, taking it in. She was lying on her right, with her left arm draped over his chest, her hand resting on his right shoulder. His left arm encircled her back, allowing him to hold her close. The annoying meep of her alarm pulled him back to reality. He hesitated only a moment before waking her; he was surprised to find himself enjoying this moment together immensely. He breathed out a sigh, and shook her gently.

"Montana," he whispered.

"Mmmmph..." was all that came out of her mouth, as she stretched. She opened her eyes and squinted, as Danny had done. Stupid sun... she really had to get better blinds, instead of the cheap ones that were there when she moved in. As her eyes came into focus, she saw Danny looking at her -- hold on, Danny! She sat up quickly, suddenly feeling very awkward. When she had woken up the night before and realized the situation at hand, she was too tired to think logically, and she was facing the consequences now. "Do you--" She inhaled sharply, her hand going to her jaw line. _Right, that, _she thought. That hurt a bit more than she was expecting it to.

"Montana, you alright?" asked Danny. Lindsay turned to look at him. He was propped on one elbow, looking intently at her. Her eyes fell on his lip - it was swollen, but not as badly as she would have expected it to be; hopefully, she'd be just as lucky.

"Yeah, just a bit sore from yesterday's debacle - it's not that bad, just caught me off guard." She gave him a weak smile, then looked at the clock. "You start at 8 as well, right?"

"Yeah... I'm just thinking that. I doubt I have enough time to get back to my apartment, especially with early morning traffic," he replied. He doubted anyone at the lab would notice if he wore the same clothes a second day; if he was out in the field, then it definitely didn't matter, and if he was in the lab, he could just wear a lab coat and no one would notice.

_Hold on,_ he thought, _why do I care anyway? I've gone in the next day wearing the same clothes as before - no one knows that I was with Lindsay last night, except for Flack and Hawkes, and they're guys, they definitely won't notice... _He sat up, resting his face in his hands and rubbing his head. "Do you mind if I take a quick shower here?" he asked; at least he wouldn't smell.

"Sure," she said, getting up from the couch. She walked to the linen closet and grabbed a clean towel. Her body felt stiff as she moved. She turned to walk back to Danny, and was startled to see he was right behind her. "Um, here..." she said quietly, handing him the towel. _Why does this feel so awkward?_ she thought.

"Thanks," he said, taking the towel in one hand, and putting the other close to her jaw.

_What is he doing!_ she thought nervously. _He's not... is he!_ Her breath caught in her throat.

His hand met her chin, but instead turned her face to the right, and she realized he was looking at her jaw. Lindsay, you fool, she thought to herself, resisting the urge to laugh at herself, at her own embarrassment. Clearly, he wasn't going to do that.

"Not as bad as I would have expected," he said, moving her head around slowly. "It's a bit discoloured, but nothing some womanly magic can't fix up... put some concealer on this, and I doubt anyone will notice. If it makes you feel any better, the Gala will be dimly lit, so you don't have anything to worry about."

Lindsay felt her pulse quicken at Danny's mention of the Gala - she had totally forgotten about it until he mentioned it. She took a breath, trying her hardest to hide her anxiety, as she realized she had not done any of the prep work she had hoped to accomplish. All she could do was smile nervously. "Be quick in the shower," was all she could think of to say.

Danny smiled and walked down the hall towards the bathroom. In a few seconds, she could hear the shower turn on, and the curtain slide shut. She quickly walked to her bedroom and took out the first clean, decent outfit she could find. She changed quickly, then walked to the mirror to examine her jaw. Danny was right - slightly discoloured, but nothing some work with some concealer couldn't fix. She gingerly touched it - it was still pretty tender. She'd just be careful today as to not aggravate it. She kept her makeup in the bathroom; she'd cover it up once Danny was done.

She walked back to her closet, and pulled out her dress. She gave it a quick once-over to ensure it wasn't dirty or crinkled, then hung it back in her closet. She didn't want Danny to see it - based on what she had been told on previous occasions where she'd worn the dress, it made her look, well, downright stunning. She just hoped that it was true.

She looked over at the clock – if they left a few minutes early, they'd have time to stop at the coffee shop around the corner and get a bite to eat before catching the subway. She walked down to the bathroom, and knocked on the door.

* * *

Danny looked at his lip in the mirror. Swollen, but not discoloured. Unlike Lindsay's, though, the swelling was a bit more obvious. He opened his mouth - _ah, that's where the bruising is._ The inside of his cheek was dark blue, from where the man's fist had caused his cheek to connect with his teeth. Danny said a silent thank-you that he didn't bruise easily - he had been like that since he was a kid. It really took quite a bit of force for him to show colour on the outside from an injury. He slipped off his clothes, placed his glasses on the counter beside the sink, and stepped in the shower. Looking around, he laughed at how many bottles were in the shower. In his, there was just a bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap... Lindsay's had two different brands of shampoo, a bottle of conditioner, one of those pouffy sponges whose proper name Danny didn't know, body wash, shaving cream, and baby oil. He was even more amused when he picked up the two bottles of shampoo, only to discover that they were both smelled of flowers. Well, I'll just be pretty today, he mused. 

The mirror was steamed when he stepped out a few minutes later. He towelled off and stepped into his jeans. He was still drying his hair when he heard a knock on the door.

"Danny?" came her voice through the door.

He opened it, one hand inside the towel, on his head.

"Montana?" Lindsay just stared at him, standing in front of her without his shirt on. Was he trying to kill her? Danny waved his hand in front of her face.

She inhaled abruptly and shut her eyes. Exhaling, she looked up at him, using all her self-control to not look back down to his built chest. "Uhh, just wanted to see how you were coming along - if we leave shortly, we'll have enough time to stop for coffee and a muffin or whatever before making our way over to the subway stop." She was speaking uncharacteristically quickly.

"Yeah, that'd be good," said Danny, grabbing his shirt off the counter and walking past her. He laughed to himself once his back was to her - the look on her face was priceless.

Within a few minutes they were ready to go. Locking the door behind her, Lindsay led Danny down the staircase and into the bright New York sunlight.

* * *

Dear You Love Me was one of Lindsay's favourite New York coffee shops. The atmosphere it created could calm any New Yorker on even the busiest of mornings. The interior decorum was soft shades of browns and blues. Bay windows allowed the sun to brighten the inside. The smell of freshly-ground coffee beans enveloped every customer as they walked through the door. On mornings when Lindsay had more time than usual, she could enjoy just watching the city from the shop's patio. 

"You know, I've lived in New York my whole life, and I don't remember even seeing this place," said Danny. The door chimed as he held it open for Lindsay. He looked around, taking in his surroundings.

"Hey Lindsay!" Danny followed the direction of the voice to a blond-haired, blue-eyed young man standing behind the counter. It was hard to tell because the floor behind the counter was slightly elevated, but Danny guessed him to be about six feet tall; he ballparked his age at late twenties.

"Hey Kevin," replied Lindsay cheerfully, walking up to the counter. Danny followed.

"It's been a few days since we've seen you around here - we were beginning to think you'd found another favourite place for your caffeine fix!" He smiled at Lindsay.

"Oh please, as if I could ever replace you!" mused Lindsay. Danny felt his body stiffen slightly as he watched the interaction between Lindsay and this guy - Kevin, had she called him? He wasn't sure if the guy was being so friendly because he was working, or because it was Lindsay that he was talking to. He had a suspicion it was the latter, and he didn't like that.

"Better not! Oh now," said Kevin, looking up at Danny, "You haven't introduced me to your friend! Kevin Rafers. I co-own this place." He held out his hand to Danny.

"Danny Messer," said Danny curtly, reaching to shake Kevin's hand, though deliberately cutting the shake short.

"Pleasure." Kevin turned his attention back to Lindsay. "The usual for you, Miss Monroe?"

"Of course," she replied smoothly, then turned to Danny. "What have you decided on? I have a few suggestions if you're stuck, though it's hard to pick something bad here."

Danny looked at Kevin, who had his eyes fixed on Lindsay. "Just a large dark roast coffee for me," Danny said, his tone less than friendly.

Kevin rang through their totals; Lindsay swiped Danny's hand away as he reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He had paid for her drinks the night before her, then took care of her... buying him a cup of coffee was the least she could do.

Danny did his best to hide a scowl as Lindsay and Kevin said their goodbyes.

"He seems nice," Danny commented sarcastically, as he held the door open for Lindsay.

"Yeah, he was working when I first came in the first time - turned a totally crappy day around. The movers were late showing up, and then we had some pretty big issues trying to move furniture into my apartment – you saw my staircase – and every room in the apartment I went into needed some severe cleaning, and my landlord was conveniently occupied all day… I had to get out, I was just getting so frustrated with the whole situation. So I just started walking, and this was the first decent-looking coffee shop I came across." Lindsay smiled at the memory. "Kevin was working – he could tell right away that I was in a pretty foul mood, so he made me this fantastic coffee on the house. That's what I've ordered every time I've been there since," she said, holding up her coffee cup.

"He probably thinks he's your knight in shining armour. A pretty girl walks into his coffee shop, he jumps on the opportunity to impress her… he's definitely got a thing for you, Montana." Danny realized that the tone of the latter part of his thought contained a bit more distain than he intended. Hopefully Lindsay hadn't picked up on it.

Lindsay just laughed at him. "Yeah, I figured that… was flattered, actually – he's cute!" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. _Idiot, that's not something you say to a guy you have a crush on!_ She looked away and took a sip of her coffee.

Danny laughed into his coffee. "So what, Montana, you flirt with every cute guy you come across?" He gave her a look.

"I was not flirting!" she defended.

Danny raised his eyebrows. "Oh, come on Montana, you completely were flirting with him… and he was practically drooling on you."

Lindsay opened her mouth in surprise, then returned the incredulous look he had given her earlier. "So, what then, it's fine when YOU flirt with blonde bartenders, but when I do I'm suddenly a terrible person?"

Danny smiled – he was getting under her skin, and it just made him laugh. "THAT was not flirting."

"Oh, no, absolutely not." Lindsay's words dripped with playful sarcasm. "Naw, it's completely normal behaviour for a guy to hit on every pretty girl who crosses his path."

"Actually," said Danny, raising a hand, "that part _is_ true. If she's hot, he's going to hit on her. That's just the way it goes, Monroe."

Lindsay raised an eyebrow. "That's pathetic."

"Again, true."

"So why is it a different situation for me then?" She fought the desire to burst out laughing at him.

"Look. Guy sees a girl. She's hot. He hits on her. End of story. But when a girl sees a guy... she'll first determine if he's hot, then she'll ask her friends if he's hot, then if he is, she does this whole 'yeah, he's hot... but is he nice? Is he funny?' And then you just play this little dancing game, so once you finally decide to hit on him, it's obviously more than just 'he's hot'. See what I mean?"

His response surprised Lindsay. It _was_ ridiculous... but it was also accurate. She wasn't about to tell him that, though. Instead, she just shrugged her shoulders and took off towards the subway terminal.

"You're just saying that because you know I'm right!" he laughed, only a stride behind her.

* * *

**A/N: **Hopefully you enjoyed this - there's definitely more to come! Thanks for all the great reviews - please keep them coming, they make me happy:) 


	5. Chapter 5: Anxiety

**Chapter 5 – Anxiety**

The morning was uneventful, and the atmosphere around the lab seemed to be more tense than usual. Everyone's was just a touch more fast-paced than normal, trying to finish up early in hopes of slipping out before their shifts officially ended. Buzz about the Gala could be heard all over the office… Lindsay kept catching wind of some 'challenge' talk, but was never around anyone long enough to figure out what they were talking about.

It was about mid-morning when Stella popped her head into Lindsay's office.

"Hey Lindsay, get your kit together, we've got a homicide a few blocks from here." She did a double-take. "Lindsay, is your jaw swollen!"

Lindsay reached up to her face, embarrassed. "Yeah, we were at Nik's last night, and as we were leaving this guy got really persistent in trying to pick me up. When Danny tried to get me out, it got a bit violent, and I accidentally moved into the crossfire of a fist."

Stella looked at her, wide-eyed. "Not Danny's, I hope!"

"No, no, it was the drunk guys, though Danny's got a few of his own battle scars. It's alright though – the swelling has already gone down since this morning, but I'm worried about how I'll look tonight."

"Oh don't even worry about it – if I didn't know you, I probably wouldn't've noticed that anything was different, but when you see someone as often as we see each other, it's a bit more noticeable." Stella smiled reassuringly – she hadn't been lying when she said that. "Let's get going."

Lindsay scooped up her kit and followed Stella down to the parking garage.

Twenty minutes later, they were at the scene. Both knowing that they didn't want to be held up any longer than they had to, they got to work quickly. Lindsay didn't mind the change from being in stuck inside the lab doing paperwork though – the change of environment gave her a chance to take her mind off of a certain someone, who seemed to persistently occupy her thoughts.

"Looking forward to tonight, Lindsay?" asked Stella.

"Hmm?" sounded Lindsay, looking up from her tape lift. "Oh for sure, from what I've heard from the past Galas it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm a bit nervous though – not entirely sure what to expect."

"Oh, don't even worry about it – it's pretty awesome being a woman at these events – the guy-to-girl ratio works _wonderfully_ in our favour. Most of NYPD is male, so it's a great event to scope out the guys… and let's face it, police officers are hot!" Stella joked, making Lindsay laugh. "It's a pretty relaxed night… mostly just for socializing and to raise money. There's a silent auction, and you can get some pretty awesome stuff there, for way less than what you'd pay in the store. Two years ago, there was even a Mediterranean cruise… and you'll never guess who got it: Hammerback."

Lindsay burst out laughing. "Seriously! Hammerback! Definitely wouldn't've seen that as his sort of thing!"

"I know!" replied Stella, "but apparently he had a grand old time on it – came back with pictures showing way more than I was interested in seeing!"

Lindsay raised her eyebrows, still smiling. "There's something I don't need to picture…"

"Well, at least it's not permanently etched in your memory!" Stella mused. "But anyway, the night works nicely for us – plenty of guys to choose from."

Lindsay smiled, turning her attention back. It wouldn't surprise her if most of the women would have their sights set on Danny, _but so what? _Shethought to herself, _it's not like I have any more claim on him than any of them anyway…_ She let out a heavy sigh. How Danny Messer was able to have this captivating hold on her, she'd never understand.

* * *

Danny's eyes wandered around the lab more than normal, as he searched for Mac. He hadn't seen Lindsay all morning – he figured that she was out in the field, but he still subconsciously looked around for her every chance he got. Down the hall, he spotted Flack and Mac looking over some files. 

"Oh good, you're both here," he said as he approached. "I need to speak to both of you. First, Detective Flack," he pointed, "I got a bit of a bone to pick with you!"

"What are you going on about Mess---Jesus, Danny, what'd you do to your face!" replied Flack, examining Danny's swollen cheek.

"Yeah, about that," he said, wide-eyed. "After you and Hawkes left to help Mac at that scene, I got into a little altercation with someone who had one too many drinks." He decided to leave out that it happened because the guy was hitting on Lindsay… that'd spark questions that he just didn't feel like dealing with.

Flack shifted his focus awkwardly to Mac, who looked thoroughly confused. "I didn't call Flack and Hawkes to a scene last night," he said slowly.

"Yeah, you did," said Danny, not noticing the look of 'oh crap' on Flack's face. "You called Flack and said you needed help processing a simple scene, so he and Hawkes left."

"Uh, no I didn't," corrected Mac. "I called Flack last night, yes, but it was just to ask him where he left me a file."

Danny looked at Flack, who looked at Mac, avoiding Danny's gaze, as Danny was undoubtedly putting together what had actually happened the night before.

"Well!" said Flack quickly, cutting of Danny as he drew in a breath to speak. "Looks like you've got this under control Mac... I'm just... gonna... take off..." He pointed to the exit and stepped out quickly, narrowly avoiding Danny's attempt to grab his suit jacket.

Danny glared at the back of Flack's head as he awkwardly speed-walked down the hall, not daring to look over his shoulder. Mac spoke first, an extremely quizzical look on his face. "Did I miss something there?"

"Yeah," seethed Danny, though grinning on the inside. "Flack's a dead man."

* * *

Lindsay looked at her watch nervously – she had been slightly held up at the lab after a man came in claiming responsibility for the murder she and Stella had been processing earlier that day. They left over a half-hour later than they had planned; normally, this wouldn't've phased her, but today, Lindsay needed all the time she could get to ensure that she looked just right for the Gala. 

She rushed into her apartment, first smiling at her couch, then glancing at the time on the DVD player – 4:12. She had to be in the cab by 5:10, if she hoped to get to the lab before 5:30. Deciding not to take the risk of the cab arriving late, she called in advance for a pick-up at 5:00. This gave her about an forty-five minutes to get completely ready. Doable, but definitely less time than she was hoping for.

By 4:50, she was almost ready, and very anxious. She had rushed all aspects of her preparation, but as she examined her hair and makeup in the mirror, she still thought she looked pretty good. She had chosen a flat brown eye shadow to compliment her dress, and wore her hair in loose, wavy curls. Her eyes traveled down her mirror, examining the dress. It was a thin-strapped, red-wine number, that was tastefully low-cut. It was fitted on top, then expanding to a subtle A-line, reaching to just above the floor. Only the toe of the matching strappy heels showed under the bottom of the dress. Lindsay selected a black wrap to go with the dress. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, impressed with her ability to get ready in such a short period of time. She looked out her window just in time to see her cab pull up in front of her building. With a final application of lip gloss, she was out her door, her heart pounding in her chest.

* * *

Danny stood with Mac, Flack, and Hawkes, just inside the main doors to the lab on the ground floor, waiting for the women to show up – naturally, they would be the last. Danny discretely glanced over his left shoulder at the front doors, waiting for a sign of Lindsay. He couldn't really peg why, but he was looking forward to seeing her dressed up for the gala. He looked down and examined himself, ensuring for the millionth time that he was presentable. He had selected a black suit with a black collared shirt underneath, accented by a royal blue tie. When he had been suit-shopping awhile back, the store clerk who had been helping him practically melted when he came out wearing this ensemble. 

He turned his attention back to Flack, who was going on about a woman who had been brought in for questioning in relation to a string of petty thefts that had taken place in the past few days. Apparently, she had tried to get out of it by hitting on him, but in her inebriated state, it just came across as hilarious.

"So she walks around the table, or more accurately, _stumbles_ around the table, then sits on it in front of me, putting her hands on my shoulders," he laughed, apparently enjoying the re-telling of his own story immensely, "She looks at me and goes, 'Are you religious, Detective Flack? Because I'm the answer to your prayers!'" The others burst out laughing at the absurdity of her pickup line.

"You're serious, she _actually_ said that!" asked Hawkes, leaning on Danny for support as he doubled-over laughing.

Flack gave a wide smile, and replied, "Oh yeah, it was great. It took all of my self control not to burst out laughing in her face, though the officer in the room with us didn't even try to control himself. She looked like she could have castrated him right there." He breathed deeply in between bursts of laughter, trying to compose himself long enough to continue with his story. "Anyhow, I just looked at her and gave her a sort of 'yeah, right' look, then stood up. Of course, she was leaning forward so far that when I did stand up, she fell flat on her face. I guess she didn't want me to realize that she had fallen though, because she then started doing this extremely odd groveling sort of maneuver at my feet."

"Oh and I bet you just loved that – women worshipping you!" Danny managed to get out.

"Yeah, not quite in that scenario though, Messer! Anyway, as I walked out, she starts doing this writhing motion that I guess she thought was sexy… oh it was definitely one of the strangest questioning experiences I've ever had, let me tell you! I'll be laughing about that experience for the next three weeks, oh man!" Flack wiped tears from his eyes – it was true that his job came with its quirky moments, but rarely did something as bizarre as this happen.

Danny looked over his shoulder towards the door again, standing perfectly still as the world around him seemed to disappear. Lindsay had just gotten out of her cab and was walking towards the door – he found himself shocked at how stunning she looked. Her red dress draped smoothly over her, showing just enough to be tastefully sexy. Flack's words snapped him out of his trance as she walked towards them.

"And here I thought a country girl's idea was dressing up was more plaid!" he quipped, still laughing partially at his story, and partially at his own comment.

"Oh you shut it," Lindsay replied, a smirk on her face. She joined them, standing beside Danny, who was still just looking at her, still in shock. She quickly glanced up at him, blushing slightly – apparently she got the reaction she was hoping for. She turned back to the rest of the group. "So it's just Stella that we're waiting for then?"

"Nope, I'm here," said Stella, as if on cue, walking through the doors. She was outfitted in a simple navy blue number complimented by a matching lightweight cardigan. Danny pulled his gaze away from Lindsay, muttering an only-slightly coherent 'hello' in her direction.

"Ready to go then?" asked Mac, gesturing to the limo that had just pulled up in front of the lab.

"Sure," replied Hawkes, grinning, "as long as neither Lindsay nor Stella start writhing around on the floor." Flack and Hawkes just stared at each other for a moment, before doubling over with laughter. Mac just shook his head.

Both Lindsay and Stella just stared at them, thoroughly confused. "Don't worry about it," gasped Flack, between breaths. "We'll explain it in the limo."

* * *

The interior of the limo oozed a classy ambiance – the minibar was stocked with a large, classy bottle of champagne. Tiny lights on the ceiling replicated stars, changing colour in time with the soft music playing. The soft, black leather was extremely comfortable, and there was plenty of room for everyone to fit comfortably. Lindsay was impressed with Danny's choice in limo service, and she told him so, as she settled into a seat towards the front of the cabin. 

"I did a lot of searching – have to arrive in style," he smiled, claiming the seat next to her. She closed her eyes briefly, as the scent of his cologne encircled her as he passed.

The kind sentiments about Danny's choice of limo were repeated through the rest of the group as they entered, impressed. Even Mac shared his approval, opening the bottle of champagne, while Flack passed around the tall glasses.

Mac offered the toast. "To Danny's choice of transportation, and to another great year," he smiled, holding up his glass. The others smiled and clinked their glasses together. Lindsay smiled at Danny as their glasses met, letting her gaze hold his for just an extra second. He looked great in his suit, everything perfectly coordinated in such a way that only Danny could pull off. If she thought he looked unbelievably attractive, even the worst of days, then tonight, that made him downright irresistible. She smiled inwardly, taking a sip of her champagne. Everything about him was just driving her further towards the edge, but no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to take the plunge. It was, after all, Danny Messer.

She turned her attention to the others, as Flack began to re-tell his story about the crazy woman. She took another sip of her champagne, hoping it would help take the edge off, the smell of Danny's cologne still saturating the air around her.

* * *

**AN: **As usual, please R&R. They make me feel warm and fuzzy. Chapter 6 is on the way! Special thanks to Nikita for beta-ing. :) 


	6. Chapter 6: Puzzle Pieces

**Chapter 6 – Puzzle Pieces**

The inside of the hall was dressed to the nines, in shades of whites, silvers, and blues. The dance floor was surrounded by circular tables on three of its sides, with the DJ set up on the fourth. The tables wore navy blue skirts, accented with white table cloths. White napkins with matching navy stitching were delicately folded inside each wine glass. The center of the table bore a single floating candle inside a small glass vase. The light emitted by the candle reflected off the small confetti starts that danced on each table. The dinner dishes and silverware were meticulously placed at each setting, not a single piece out of line. Along the length of the far wall was a similarly-decorated table bearing all sorts of merchandise – the items for the auction.

Many of the guests were already milling about around the bar and tables, casually chatting. Beams of light bounced off their faces, cast by the large glass chandelier that hung over the dance floor. The DJ had set up his spotlights to reflect off the chandelier, creating a colourful cast of light rays that made the room look magical.

Lindsay smiled, trying to take in every element of her surroundings while following Mac to their table. Ahead, she could see Sid, Adam, Marty, and Evan were already waiting, drinks in hand. They all exchanged smiles and greetings, taking their seats around their table.

Only seconds had passed when the sommelier approached the table.

"May I interest any of you in a glass of wine?" he asked, motioning first to Stella, the woman closest to him.

"Yes, thank you," she smiled, "white for me please." The sommelier made his way around the table, filling each glass with their choice of wine.

"Cheers," motioned Mac, raising his glass.

"Cheers!" they all chimed in unison, clinking glasses with whoever was closest. Danny smiled at Lindsay, seated at her right, as he tapped his glass against hers.

"Wow, great wine," said Hawkes, swirling his wine around in his glass. "Nice."

It appeared as though most of the guests had arrived; the majority of the seats had been claimed, the remaining guests exchanging hellos, or bringing drinks back to their tables from the bar. A soft dinging noise called Lindsay's attention to the podium beside the DJ's stand.

At the podium was a tall, solidly-built man in his late 50s that Lindsay recognized as the NYPD Police Chief, Joe Fabrizzi. He was softly tapping a knife to his glass.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the NYPD Appreciation Gala 2006!" The guests erupted in applause. "Thank you – I'm very exciting to be hosting this event. As is customary, I'd like to make a few announcements.

"First, you'll notice the silent auction against the wall on my right—" he pointed to the table "—the total of the retail value of this year's selection is the highest this Gala has seen yet! So at some point, make sure you get yourself over to that table to make a bid!" More applause rose from the crowd, as Fabrizzi looked over at Hammerback. "In addition, there is another Mediterranean Cruise available – Sid Hammerback, Medical Examiner was the lucky recipient of that last year, I'm sure he can tell you how great it was!" Hammerback grinned.

"Secondly, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge those who could not be with us tonight – officers whose lives were taken before their time." He drew a breath before beginning to read the list. "Lieutenant James Fisher, Internal Affairs. Officer Grant McKeller and Officer Jennifer Spencer, DWI Enforcement. And Detective Aiden Burn, Crime Scene Investigation. If we could have a moment of silence to remember these officers, and their contributions to the City of New York."

Lindsay drew a breath, looking at her coworkers, the room silent. Mac was sitting tall, his chin up. Hawkes looked away, then back at Fabrizzi.Stella took a deep breath, her face slightly reddened, and Danny was looking into his lap. Lindsay placed her hand on his leg underneath the table for a moment, reassuringly. He gave her the faintest smile, then looked back into his lap.

Fabrizzi spoke again. "But when every ending comes a new beginning, and as my third agenda item, I would like to welcome the following people to the NYPD. If these people could stand after I say their name, so they can be officially welcomed." Lindsay tensed – she hadn't known this was coming. "Captain Dylan White, Internal Affairs." A round of applause sounded as White stood, smiled, then reclaimed his seat. "Detective Lindsay Monroe, Crime Scene Investigation." Lindsay smiled nervously, feeling herself redden slightly as she stood. Hawkes let out a quiet 'woo!' so that only their table could hear. Danny smiled widely as she sat back down. "Officer Dale Belfaine, Financial Crimes. Officer Vincent Bailly, Internal Affairs. Detective Carrie Steinch, Homicide." He paused after each name. "And finally, Captain Natalie Cazio, DWI Enforcement. We are very privileged to have these individuals here with us.

"And my final note – beverages are available at the bar – please be responsible. I hope you all have a great time tonight – I will not keep you from your dinners any longer!" The guests stood in applause as Fabrizzi made his way back to his seat. Simultaneously, the house staff began bringing the appetizers around to the tables.

* * *

One hour later, everyone had enjoyed a very nice chicken dinner, and Fabrizzi was standing at the podium again.

"It has just been brought to my attention that last year, some people were shy about getting up and boogying!" The guests chuckled at his choice of words. "I would like to have it be known that such behaviour will not be tolerated this year – department heads, please ensure your subordinates have a good time tonight, and this includes dancing!. I'll turn the floor over to Christian, your DJ for the evening!" Lindsay couldn't help but laugh – she had only seen the police chief on the news, never met him in person, but so far he seemed to be a lot of fun. Mac turned around to face them as Christian began to play an upbeat tune.

"You heard the man!" he laughed, standing up. Lindsay was surprised to see Mac getting up to dance – she wouldn't've pictured him as the type. Around them, the guests, though some apprehensively, began to fill the dance floor. Everyone stood up from their table except for Danny and Flack, who looked incredulous.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Danny, raising his eyebrows. "There's no way you're getting me to dance."

Stella glared at him. "I don't think so Messer – get your ass up." She reached over and yanked his arm, forcing him up. He looked over at Flack, who was still seated with his arms crossed over his chest, a defiant 'make me' look in his eye.

Danny laughed. "Flack, if they're forcing me to dance, then you're coming down with me. Plus, you owe me after your little stunt last night."

Lindsay turned to Danny. "Stunt?"

"I'll tell you later," answered Danny, walking around the table to Flack, who got up before Danny reached him.

"Fine, fine," sighed Flack, "but I'll have you know I'm not happy about this."

They walked out to the dance floor together, forming a circle. Lindsay wasn't at all surprised to find out that Danny was a decent dancer – which was more than she could say for many of the men around her, many of whom looked like frogs in a blender, unable to find the rhythm at all. Except for Marty, whose moves were slightly questionable, everyone from her department was able to hold their own, even Sid.

As soon as the first song ended, Flack announced he was going to get himself another drink, and took off towards the bar before anyone else could stop him. As Lindsay followed him, she noticed a young woman in a black strappy-backed dress standing at the bar; _ah, an explanation for Flack's sudden departure,_ she mused, smiling. Just then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find herself face-to-face with a very solidly-built man, she guessed mid-30s, with light brown hair and deep brown eyes.

"Hello," he said smiling gently, "You're Lindsay Monroe, right? New CSI? I'm Vincent Bailly, I also new – well, new-ish, I started here a few months ago, but I guess they recap all of the past year's new hires at this Gala." He held out his hand.

"Oh, hello," she replied, shaking it. "Yeah, I started about 9 months ago, so to be introduced as 'new' to the force was a bit weird, but it's still nice to get introduced to everyone else."

"It's a bit crowded here, can I interest you in a drink?" he asked, motioning towards the bar.

Lindsay hesitated before answering, looking back at Danny, whose eyes were fixed on her. "Um, sure, yeah," she replied. She found herself feeling rather conflicted – it wasn't every day that she was going to get to dance with Danny, but at the same time, she wasn't about to throw herself at him. She knew they were good friends, but she wasn't sure if his feelings were reciprocated. And on the off-chance that they were, it would be more fun to play hard-to-get anyway. She followed Vincent off the floor to the bar.

* * *

It took all of Danny's self control not to grab Lindsay away from this guy. _But who are you to tell her what to do? _He thought to himself. He followed her with his eyes all the way to the bar. He forced himself to continue dancing, but couldn't stop the fury of thoughts swirling around in his mind. _Why can't she go have a drink with that guy, anyway? And who says a drink even means anything, he's just being nice, after all… but come on, what guy just goes up to a girl and offers her a drink without wanting something else? _He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force these thoughts out of his mind, but it just wasn't working. He noticed Stella looking at him, watching him look from Lindsay to dead air, and back to Lindsay again. He broke her gaze, trying to figure out which move would be the lesser evil: continuing to dance nonchalantly while Lindsay unknowingly tortured him by talking to that Vincent guy, or making himself scarce, letting Lindsay do whatever she wanted with the guy, but tipping off to everyone else that it bugged him when she got attention from other guys. He decided to stay, suffering in silence.

* * *

Over at the bar, Vincent was going on about something having to do with televisions; Lindsay wasn't really listening to him., just returning nods and 'mhmms' at the appropriate times. She couldn't help but notice the dejected look on Danny's face when she left the group with Vincent. She slowly nursed the drink he had gotten her from the open bar. She just didn't get it. She shouldn't feel any obligation to have stayed with Danny and the rest of the group – here was a great-looking man simply asking her for conversation over a drink. So what, not a big deal…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the DJ's voice coming over the speaker system.

"Alright kids, I've been asked to remind you to go start placing your bets on the auction, while paying attention to the minimum bid price – Mr Pino, this means you!" Lindsay laughed as she looked over at Marty, now a bright shade of pink. She found out later that he had placed an opening bid of $20 on a $400 iPod. "Now I'm going to slow it down a bit, give some of the older folks out there a bit of a breather," said Christian, starting a slower song. Lindsay watched as people paired off on the dance floor. She found Stella dancing with Hammerback, while Hawkes proposed the dance to a young blonde Lindsay recognized from the Domestic Disturbances division. She felt a hand on the small of her back.

"Shall we?" asked Vincent, smiling at her. She gave a slight nod, and followed him out to the dance floor.

She felt her eyes wandering and darting about the room as Vincent took her hand and held her much closer than she was comfortable with for only knowing him about a half-hour. She found Mac, dancing with Helen, the department head in Financials, while Flack had brought his pickup to the floor. Danny was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, you alright?" asked Vincent. He had noticed her eyes wandering; she turned slightly pink with embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, smiling weakly.

"Good." He moved a stray strand of hair out of her face, continuing to sway back and forth with her, in beat with the song. "I noticed you as soon as I walked in here tonight… you're easily the most beautiful woman in here. I'm having a lot of fun, and I'd like to think that you had a little something to do with that." He smiled brightly at her.

Normally, such a situation would have melted Lindsay, but she found herself wishing that it wasn't Vincent telling her these words, but instead Danny. _Ugh, it would just be so much easier if he was an ass, _she thought to herself. _Then it'd be easy to hate him, instead of being crazy about him. _Turning her attention back to Vincent, all she could do was return a forced smile. Afraid of what he might try if she held his gaze, she turned her head, and prayed for the song to be over. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with Vincent – granted she hadn't known him more than a conversation, but her first impression had him pegged as your typical sweetheart, not to mention he was extremely good-looking. And kind. And funny. And flattering.

But he wasn't Danny.

* * *

The crisp night air felt nice against Danny's hot face. He wasn't impressed to hear the DJ announce the upcoming slow song… exactly what he didn't want. He felt a cold, stab of jealousy wash over him as Vincent led her onto the dance floor. He had quickly turned on his heels and headed for the exit – not to leave, he couldn't even if he wanted to; he had arranged for the limo to bring them all back to the lab when the Gala ended – but instead to just get some air and clear his head. Hopefully, clear _Lindsay _from his head. He drew in a deep breath, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

The beat of a faster song resonated through the air, signalling the end of the previous slow song. The fresh air had calmed him down, though images of Lindsay still floated around his mind.

* * *

As the song drew to a close, Lindsay found herself itching to get away from Vincent – she didn't want to be mean by leading him on, though he was too nice to just shoot down. She looked up at Vincent.

"I, uh, have to make a run to the ladies' room, but thank you very much for the drink and the dance, it was a lot of fun." Hopefully he'd take the hint, and then she wouldn't have to say something more obvious; she didn't even have to go to the restroom, she just needed an excuse to get away from him.

Apparently, though, Lindsay just couldn't be that lucky. "Okay," said Vincent, a boyish grin pasted across his face. "I'll be around – there's plenty of the night left."

She drew in a breath and gave yet another awkward smile, wondering how many more of those she could get away with. As she walked off the dance floor, she realized she had no idea where the bathroom actually _was_ – she made for the main doors of the hall, where they had come in from. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Vincent wasn't following her – and managed to walk straight into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir," she stammered, knowing it was a man by the suit. "I didn't see – oh, hi…"

She had walked right into Danny.

* * *

**AN: **More coming soon, I promise! Thanks very much to everyone who R&R'd – keep them coming, they give me motivation to keep this story going! Again, thanks to Nikita for beta-ing. 


	7. Chapter 7: Harder to Deny

**Chapter 7 – Harder to Deny**

"Whoa there Montana, if you're not careful you're going to run someone over."

"Sorry Danny," she said feebly, avoiding eye contact. "I'm actually just on my way to the ladies' room."

Danny looked at her with a surprised look on his face. "Uh Monroe, you're in the entrance to the building… I don't imagine you're planning on squatting in the bushes out front, am I right?"

Lindsay blushed. "Um, no…" She couldn't think of anything better to say.

Danny just laughed. God damn that laugh. "Tell you what. You turn around, the ladies' room is that way," he pointed, "and I'll wait for you by the bar. This is supposed to be a night for relaxing, and you look, well, stressed." _What the hell was that, Messer? _he thought, still holding his smile firmly in place, which wasn't that hard to do when Lindsay was the one he was smiling at. _You're offering her a drink? This is what you normally do before you start all your tricks in hopes of … well, you know where that normally ends up. But this is Monroe here!_

"Yeah, thanks, I'll be there in a minute," she smiled, turning back around and walking in the direction Danny had pointed.

Of all the people she had to run into, why did it have to be Danny? She was having quite a difficult time sorting out her feelings… On the one hand, he was someone she worked with, someone who she had formed a solid friendship with, one of the first since she came to New York. But further than that, he just had this way of making her laugh, even at her worst of times, he had this uncanny ability to make her smile and give her a boost at the drop of a hat. And though he sometimes drove her completely crazy, he still had this aura about him, a certain something that drew him to her. But on the other hand, who knew where he was standing – she had known pretty much since day one that he had a player reputation – your typical bad boy. She couldn't exactly come out and profess her feelings for him, nor did she feel comfortable enough with Flack to ask him for any advice on the matter. Anyone who she did feel comfortable in asking didn't know Danny, and would only be able to speculate.

Unfortunately, this bad boy turned her world completely upside down… to the point where she couldn't even enjoy the attention of an extremely handsome, intellectual individual.

God, what was Danny Messer doing to her?

* * *

Danny waited at the bar, a beer in one hand and a glass in the other. He surveyed the room. Stella, Sid, and Hawkes were over at the auction table; Sid was obviously looking at the Mediterranean Cruise again. Danny cringed at the memories of the photos, and looked onwards to find Mac over with Fabrizzi chattering away. Flack was working on minimizing the distance between himself and the strappy-backed blonde he had been working on most of the night. A friendly 'hey' interrupted his thoughts, as Lindsay leaned against the bar, facing him.

"Hey yourself," he said, handing her the wine. "What happened to your friend?" Danny immediately gave himself a mental slap. _Messer, you dumbass._

Lindsay broke his eye contact, looking intently at the bubbles in her wine glass. "He's nice," she said slowly, "but he was a bit … I don't know what the word is, overconfident, I suppose would be fitting."

Danny drew a shallow breath – confidence was something he was actually good at, and she didn't like it? He decided to investigate further. "Oh yeah? Care to elaborate?" He kept his eyes fixed over the dance floor.

Lindsay thought about her response, then said, "Well, he's nice and all, but he seemed too eager, like I would automatically melt at the knees just because he showed some interest in me, as if he were the only guy left on the planet." She was surprised at how easily she offered the explanation, then realized that it was because it was actually true. "I mean, it's nice that he's got some confidence because you don't want the guy to be a complete wimp, but really? I think his ego was just a bit too large; not really my kind of thing. But he just didn't seem to get the hint when I wasn't as friendly with him in return."

Danny couldn't help but feel relieved by her answer; he felt himself stand just a touch taller. Lindsay noticed the look of relief that swept across his face, and smiled as she felt him relax. She took a sip of her wine, leaning slightly into him.

"Well that's too bad that it didn't work out for you, Montana," said Danny, trying not to sound excited, but knowing he was probably doing a terrible job at covering up. "Some guys just don't get when to cut it off."

"Oh, and I suppose you're an expert in that area?" She raised her eyebrows; _of course he does, he makes that painfully, blissfully obvious every single time he looks at you. _

"Oh, come on Monroe, I've been perfecting my game since I was about eleven. I've got it down to a science," he laughed.

"Enlighten me, then." She gave him a wide grin, the one that he knew he couldn't resist.

"Well then, Miss Monroe, where do I start!" He couldn't believe he was about to do this. "Part of being successful in your endeavour with a new woman is to first gage if she's interested, instead of just assuming that it's a good deal. You have to play the interested one, make her laugh, maybe buy her a drink to get on her good side, compliment her… but all the while keeping a distance. If you get all over her right away, she's more than likely going to put up the defensive. You've got to be sweet, and once you break the ice, you have to let her come to you. You just put out the bait, then let her actually take it. That's the way it's got to be done!"

Lindsay was shocked – he completely had it right on. It was the manoeuver he'd been using on her, and part of why she was turned off from Vincent.

And right on cue, Vincent walked up to Lindsay.

"Hey there – you didn't come get me when you came back from the restroom!" He smiled at Lindsay, but not before sending a slightly unfriendly scowl in Danny's direction. Danny returned the expression.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," said Lindsay, taking a small step closer to Danny. "I ran into Danny on the way back and we just got to talking." She wished he hadn't spotted them.

"Well," he said, motioning towards the dance floor. "Care for another dance?"

Lindsay looked first to Danny, then out to the dance floor, realizing that the DJ had slowed down the pace yet again.

"I—"

"She had already promised me the next dance," interrupted Danny, looking intently at Lindsay. She didn't miss a step.

"Yeah, I did, sorry Vincent," she smiled. She felt bad blowing him off, but it was hard to care given what Danny had just indirectly asked her.

Danny placed his hand on the small of her back and led her towards the dance floor, leaving Vincent rejected behind them. Danny smirked. Once on the dance floor, he turned her to face him, one hand on her waist, the other delicately holding hers. He was surprised at how natural it felt, to be holding her so close, to be able to just look at her and not have it seem weird or intrusive. He resisted the urge to pull her right up against him, remembering his own advice. But oh, how he wanted to. He had been fighting what was going on inside of him for awhile, desperately trying not to admit that he, in fact, _was_ completely crazy about Lindsay. She was so different than anyone he had ever met. While other girls seemed to be unable to resist his city boy charm, she acted like she hadn't noticed it. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had been subconsciously working rather hard to get her attention – calling her Montana, poking fun at her, never letting her just get off with anything easily. She seemed to just have this hold on him, and he couldn't shake it.

And he realized he didn't want to.

He gave a slight tug of her body towards his, slight enough that she would have felt it, but gentle enough that if she didn't want to, it would be easy to just maintain the positions currently held. He drew a breath as she stepped into him.

* * *

There's just something about dancing with someone you care so much about that gets to you on a much deeper level than simply being in the same room… the intimacy, the atmosphere, the perfect excuse to get so close to someone without anyone asking questions or giving suspicious looks. Standing in Danny's hold, slightly closer together than simply coworkers, Lindsay found herself getting completely lost in the moment. All she could think about was Danny, the world around her simply didn't exist anymore. She itched to melt into him completely, but even dancing couldn't create a believable enough façade to fulfill such a wish. She felt Danny pull her towards him, the slightest push applied on her back. She took a small step towards him, smiling as all attachments to reality disappeared.

* * *

**AN: **Sorry the chapter was shorter than normal, but this just seemed like the right spot to end, plus leads well into what's in store. As always, reviews are loved! Thanks for all the support. 


	8. Chapter 8: Influence and Interference

**Chapter 8 – Influence and Interference **

Lindsay and Danny held on to each other an extra moment as the song drew to a close.

"Thanks," said Lindsay, smiling.

"For what?"

"For not leaving me to dance with Vincent – definitely saved me an awkward few minutes there, so thanks." She felt a bit strange thanking him for a dance, but it was the truth. "Like I said, he's nice, but…" She let her voice trail off.

Danny was about to respond, when Stella approached them. "Hey, any chance of cutting in for a dance?"

Lindsay immediately took a step back, making room for Stella. "Go right ahead – I'm going to go join Hawkes over at the auction table; I haven't had a chance to look through what's there and wouldn't mind maybe placing a bid on something. I'll see you soon," she said, directing the latter comment to Danny. He answered with a warm smile, then turned to Stella.

Lindsay stole a glance over her shoulder back at Danny as she walked off the dance floor. She was relieved it was Stella and not some other random woman at the Gala who had stolen Danny for a dance – she wasn't too concerned about Stella having ulterior motives.

"Hey Hawkes," she said, approaching the auction table. She was very impressed with the huge selection of items to choose from, everything from show tickets to sports equipment to restaurant gift certificates to the cruise (which Hammerback had already bid on). She looked over Hawkes' shoulder to see he was placing a bid on a set of toy microscopes.

Noticing the look on her face, Hawkes explained. "I have a 10-year-old niece who's really into science. Her birthday's coming up. These sets are usually pretty expensive, so hopefully I'll win this and get a deal on it. She'd love it." He smiled and wrote in his bid. "There," he said, grinning. He turned to Lindsay. "So. Nice surprise being personally introduced, eh?"

Lindsay laughed. "Yeah, but it was unexpected – no one warned me! At least we didn't have to get up and give a full introduction – that's what they did to the newcomers in Montana. Granted we were much smaller so it was less intimidating, but was still nerve-racking to have to stand up in front of a bunch of people you don't know and try to come up with something interesting to say about yourself." She laughed at the memory. "At least here, you've been around for awhile and you know a handful of people. When I got the job at the Montana PD after I graduated, I had to give that about-me speech on my first day. I thought I was going to pass out, I was that nervous."

Hawkes laughed in surprise. "You? Nervous? Wow Lindsay, I wouldn't've pictured it!"

"I was actually _really_ nervous when I started here, you know, new city and all, was a lot of firsts for me. I was trying to hide it, but Danny's interference made that much harder."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Told you to call Mac 'sir'. That was priceless. At least you didn't have to worry about being embarrassed here though." He moved away slightly from the auction table, as more people were coming up to survey what was available. "You did handle yourself well, though; Stella wanted to give you the heads up that you were going to be introduced, along with all the other newbies, but Danny talked her out of it."

"Hah, not surprising – leave it to Danny to jump on any opportunity to embarrass me," Lindsay joked, as Flack walked up to them.

"Where's your hot date?" asked Hawkes.

"Bathroom break, went with what I think was half the women here." He shook his head. "I'll never understand that, you women all going to the bathroom together."

Lindsay smirked at him. "We do it so that we can talk about the guys who are hitting on us in private and make sure our friends all approve, so if I were you, I'd hope that she's having positive conversations in that bathroom."

Both Flack and Hawkes just stared at her. "Are you serious?" Flack asked. "They're in there right now talking about me?"

"Absolutely!" Lindsay thoroughly enjoyed the looks on both their faces – what was even better was that she was probably right. Where else could a bunch of women go to discuss men in the same vicinity and not be interrupted? "Anyway," said Lindsay, changing the subject, "What 'stunt' was Danny referring to earlier?"

"Oh right, I meant to ask you about that," said Hawkes, turning to Flack.

Flack glared at Hawkes. "You probably don't want hear this story just as much as I don't want to tell it."

Lindsay scowled. "Well now you're going to have to, you realize, or I'll make a trip to the bathroom… Maybe let your little date know that the guy that's been hitting on her is a jerk, and happens to be terrible in bed."

"WHAT!" Flack's jaw dropped. "I bet you they wouldn't even believe you," he said, attempting a recovery. "How would you know one way or the other anyway?"

"I don't, but it would make no difference that I was lying – women listen to the opinions of other women, especially when it comes to new guys… all I'd have to say is that you've gotten around the lab, and since our lab is pretty small it's only natural that everyone knows. And in addition to everyone knowing, everyone also talks, and, well, you can only hear the same negative comments so many times before you have no choice but to believe them. I'd even go so far as to saying it's the reason that I haven't personally let myself succumb to your efforts."

Flack began to protest, but Lindsay cut him off. "—They would _assume_ that I was telling the truth on that one – regardless of the fact that you've made no such advances, and clearly do not sleep around. Again, they'd have no way to know I was lying."

Flack opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, all he could muster was "Lindsay Monroe, you are pure evil."

Lindsay smiled triumphantly. "Bet that stunt story is looking like the lesser of two evils now, isn't it."

Flack weighed his options, then sighed in defeat, proceeding to tell Lindsay that Mac hadn't really called him and Hawkes to a scene, that he had made it up. He didn't say that it was so he could leave Lindsay and Danny together – he hoped she'd derive that conclusion on her own, saving him the explanation. He caught Hawkes' gaze, who was surprised he had told her. "What, you think I'd rather have Monroe spread all that stuff about me! The consequences of this story are tame compared to the terrible reputation I could have been branded with!"

But Lindsay wasn't listening – Flack had purposely left Danny and Lindsay at Nik's Place alone, using the story as a mere cover-up. On the one hand, she was ridiculously happy he had come up with that stunt – she had had a great night, injuries aside. But on the other hand, the only reason he would have pulled said stunt was because he thought they _wanted_ to be left alone… and Lindsay wasn't sure she was comfortable with others having that knowledge. She turned back to Flack with a friendly glare. "You know, I should go tell those girls that rumour anyway, to make you pay for that, BUT—" Flack began to interrupt, but she held her hand up, hushing him "—I'm not going to because I'm clearly not as mean and conniving as you are."

"Ouch. As long as my name's not being dragged through the mud," laughed Flack, holding up his hands in surrender. "And on that note, I'll be steering clear of you for the remainder of the evening." He winked, then skirted around Lindsay, meeting his strappy-backed mate as she approached.

Hawkes turned to face Lindsay. "I swear I didn't know he was pulling that – he only told me as we were leaving that Mac hadn't called us to a scene, that he just wanted to leave you and Danny alone."

Lindsay smiled. "Don't even worry about it – Flack just likes to meddle about, it's fine. We had a great night, aside from the whole getting punched in the face thing."

"Don't even get me started on that, I felt terrible this morning when I heard what happened," said Hawkes, a look of sincere regret on his face.

Lindsay laughed it off. "Seriously, as you can tell from both of us today, it wasn't that bad. If the guy was sober he probably could have done some more severe damage, but he wasn't, so it's all good. Let's go sit at the table." She looked over to see Mac caught in conversation with Marty and Evan. She couldn't tell if the look on his face was that of interest or hidden annoyance.

She looked towards the dance floor as she followed Hawkes across the room and was surprised to find Danny looking at her. He smiled at her, then said something to Stella.

Lindsay let her gaze drop to the floor, blushing slightly as she silently thanked Flack for his meddling.

* * *

It had always astonished Danny, his relationship with Stella. She was like the older sister he never had, the one who made sure that he stayed in line and, for the most part, kept his nose clean. He never asked her to, it had just sort of happened over the years. He could count on her to tell him when he was doing something right, and when he was being a complete moron. He found it both comforting and frightening at the same time. They also seemed to have a deeper understanding of each other in the last few weeks, both having experienced a bit of an upturning of their lives. 

"How you been holding up Messer?" she asked, slowly rotating in time with the music.

"Can't complain, under the circumstances. My brother's doing a lot better, he's officially been given clearance to get back to work, which he's happy about. Can finally start to get his life on track – it's about time, too."

Stella smiled supportively. "That's great to hear Danny, it'll be good for him to start to get his life back together."

Danny nodded. "Other than that, work's been keeping me pretty busy – it seems everyone shares that sentiment lately." Stella sounded her agreement. "So between work and trying to find enough time to sleep, I haven't had time for much else." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. For awhile I didn't mind work getting so busy, it let me keep my mind off of everything. But you can only go so long before it begins to catch up with you – I think we all really needed tonight to just unwind, let loose a little bit. Thankfully none of us have been paged yet – the other districts are nice enough to try their best to cover for us tonight, but I suppose anything's possible."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, "I remember two years ago when Mac was here a total of about eleven minutes before he got called off for the night. So much for relaxing."

"But this is Mac we're talking about." Stella smiled. They continued to dance in silence, just enjoying being in each other's company. And in the case of Danny and Stella, nothing more needed to be said.

Danny let his mind wander. It definitely had been an eventful year – that was one way to put it. You can only go so long before such events start to weigh you down, especially when they affect you on such a personal level. He was used to dealing with death – he saw it every day. But every person has their breaking point, and every so often, something hits you personally. He smiled to himself, thanking whoever was responsible for at least giving him a strong support group: loyal coworkers who cared about him as more than just a colleague.

Without realizing it, he found his eyes had landed on Lindsay. She was talking to Flack and Hawkes, not noticing that Danny was looking at her. He hadn't realized before just how much she had actually been there for him. They really had become just more than coworkers – the relationship he shared with Lindsay was different from any other in the lab. He knew that there was very little she wouldn't do for him, and knew that when push came to shove, he'd do the same for her.

The motion of the dance removed Lindsay from his line of sight. He began to reflect on the many times she had given him support, whether or not he really needed it. What stood out the most was everything that she did when the Tanglewood Boys resurfaced. She had known it was against protocol when she approached Danny with the DNA results, but took comfort in that she trusted him enough to do so. She simply wanted to know what happened – never had she accused him of being responsible for the murder of that kid. Every time their eyes met that day, he saw the concern written all over her face. He wanted nothing more than to just go up to her and explain everything, tell her exactly what happened that night, but he knew that contact with the team was forbidden, given the circumstances. He was so relieved when his name was finally cleared, but even more so that the person to play the tape for Danny had been Lindsay. He'd been able to explain himself fully, without having to say anything. As Lindsay came back into his line of sight, he had an idea, and smiled.

"Well don't we look like the giddy schoolboy," laughed Stella. She followed Danny's gaze to Lindsay, who was now looking back at Danny and smiling. "You know she cares a ton about you. She does about everyone, come to think of it. She's definitely one of a kind, that one."

Danny sighed, turning to face her. "Yeah, I definitely know that."

"Look Danny, I'm not about to jump to any conclusions or tell you what to do, but I will say this. Don't put yourself in a situation where you're going to look back and regret not taking charge. I know it's not the best comparison, but look what happened with Louie. Fifteen years you guys didn't speak, and it took his near-death to bring you two back together. As corny as it sounds, you sometimes have to just seize the moment."

Danny smiled as the last tones of the song resonated through the hall. He stopped, and gave Stella a hug. "Thanks, I needed that."

Was her speech discretely referring to Lindsay, or had he heard it as such because he was thinking about her? The only thing he knew for certain was that he had to address his feelings, and quick. He had nearly lost Louie, and had learned a valuable lesson in taking opportunities when they're available. It was time to stop questioning the what-ifs, and to finally figure it all out for certain.

* * *

**AN: **Thanks for all the great reviews – please let me know what you thought of this chapter! What you've all been asking and waiting for is coming in the future! 

**AN2: **Sorry it took me so long to get this up – this site was experiencing difficulties when trying to upload documents!


	9. Chapter 9: Surrender

**Chapter 9 – Surrender  
**

A new element of determination resided in Danny's stride as he walked back to the table, his eyes fixed on Lindsay. He had been skirting his feelings long enough – in the past, he had always kept everyone an arm's length away, never letting them get too close. Lindsay somehow managed to dodge his best efforts, and was able to get through a layer no one else had been able to penetrate. Perhaps the reason he never faced his feelings before was that they simply frightened him – he suddenly felt vulnerable and exposed, yet at the same felt a calm and comforted when she was around. He smiled at her as he sat down on her left. She gave him a questioning look, which he dismissed with his trademark grin.

He looked around the table at his colleagues, stopping on Flack who was grinning like a schoolboy as Miss Straps whispered something into his ear. _Get a room,_ he thought, though smiling in approval. Mac, Stella, and Hawkes were having a conversation amongst themselves, while Sid was busy telling Marty and Evan all about his cruise trip the year before and all his plans for this year's, should he win it again. Danny turned his attention to the podium, where Fabrizzi stood, trying to get the crowd's attention.

"Good evening everyone! I hope you're all having a great time tonight." Applause rose from the guests as signaled their agreement. "Good, good! It has come time in the evening to announce the winners from the Silent Auction!" Danny laughed as Sid instantly sat up straighter in his chair – last Danny had checked, Sid was still in the lead for that cruise. Looking around, there were many anxious faces in the crowd, each hoping they had won their bids.

"First up, the four-night stay in the grand Plaza Hotel."

"Oooh, I bid on that!" said Stella excitedly. Mac gave her an awkward glance as she stared restlessly at Fabrizzi.

"The top bidder was Veronica Alexis!"

A loud eruption of applause broke out from the other side of the hall. Danny craned his neck to see a slim brunette stand up, a huge smile on her face, as she weaved her way through the tables and made her way up to the podium to claim her voucher. Stella's shoulders sunk slightly.

"Ah well, probably better I don't spend that much money anyway," she laughed, but Danny could tell she was still disappointed. Hawkes patted her shoulder in reassurance, while Mac quietly laughed. Stella smacked his arm.

As Danny ceased his clapping, he leaned back and casually rested his right arm over the back of Lindsay's chair. He kept his eyes fixed to Fabrizzi, though out of the corner he could see Lindsay glancing back ever-so-slightly, then leaning back in her chair, grinning. The smallest smile broke though Danny's attempts to keep a straight face.

"Congratulations, Veronica," came Fabrizzi's voice. "Next, the two tickets to the Broadway musical _Jersey Boys_."

"Oh, I was hoping to bid on those tickets," said Lindsay, "I've been dying to see that, but whoever donated those tickets gave _really_ good seats, and by the time I got there, the bid was way out of the range of what I can afford right now. I envy whoever wins, though." Danny just smiled, silently wishing he had bid on them. Too bad she hadn't said anything earlier, else he would have.

"Congratulations to Vincent Bailly, who, might I add, obliterated the next highest bidder as well as the retail price! Quite a generous guy!"

Lindsay stared in shock as Vincent strode proudly to the podium to claim his tickets, all the while looking at Lindsay.

Stella turned around. "Linds, isn't that the guy who's been hitting on you?" Lindsay gave a small nod of her head. "Twenty bucks says he'll ask Lindsay to go with him by the end of the night," she laughed, turning back to face forward. To Lindsay's dismay, both Hawkes and Mac nodded their agreement. She didn't dare look back at Danny.

Lindsay drew a breath and let out an obviously-forced laugh. Danny glared at Vincent as he walked back towards his seat. His eyes were still fixed on Lindsay, who was looking into her lap. Before sitting down, Vincent shot a nasty smirk at Danny.

_Oh no you don't,_ thought Danny, _not if I can help it.

* * *

_

Lindsay felt herself tense slightly as Danny coolly rested his arm on the back of her chair. She glanced behind her to see if it was just her imagination… nope, arm was definitely there. He had pulled it off perfectly, his arm laying in such a way that she knew what it meant (or at least what it could mean, not wanting to jump to conclusions), but anyone else would just pass it off as a 'guy thing'. It amazed Lindsay how Danny was always able to do that, flirt without being obvious about it. She smiled as she sat back in her chair, leaning into Danny as much as she dared. Perhaps it was just the atmosphere, but Lindsay felt herself more attracted to Danny than normal. Granted suits always made guys look hotter and sexier than normal, not that Danny needed help in that department, but there was just something about his mannerisms and actions lately that Lindsay just couldn't put her finger on. Whatever it was, she hoped that it wouldn't disappear when the night ended.

Her attention was perked when she heard Fabrizzi say the _Jersey Boys _tickets would be given out next. "I was hoping to bid on those tickets," she said to no one in particular, "I've been dying to see that, but whoever donated those tickets gave _really_ good seats, and by the time I got there, the bid was way out of the range of what I can afford right now. I envy whoever won, though."

Her expression quickly changed from bliss to shock, as her brain registered the name of the tickets' top bidder: Vincent Bailly. _There's no way,_ she thought. Vincent looked at her, grinning widely as he proudly strode to the podium to claim his tickets. Lindsay meekly returned the smile, then dropped her head. _There's no way he just did that – why did I tell him that I really wanted to see that musical! _

She glanced up at Stella, who was asking if Vincent was the same guy who had been hitting on her all night. She nodded, wishing she could just disappear. She was certain Vincent would be asking her to accompany him to the show, since there were two tickets.

She looked up when she felt a warm hand on her bare shoulder. "You alright there Montana?" asked Danny from beside her.

"Yeah, fine," she said. She caught a glimpse of Vincent at his table, smiling proudly. She attempted to hide her frustration by turning her attention back to Fabrizzi, who had just awarded an autographed team photo of the New York Rangers to an obvious sports fanatic a few tables away. His tablemates leaned over to get a closer look at the photograph.

After what seemed like an eternity, Fabrizzi reached the largest and final auction item: the Mediterranean Cruise. Sid was nearly squealing in his seat, he was so anxious. Even Mac managed to laugh at his squirming.

"Calm down there Sid, you look like you're going to wet yourself," joked Flack, patting him on the back. Everyone laughed.

"If he doesn't announce it soon, I just might!" Sid smiled.

"It's a good thing you've got your own travel arrangements home then," laughed Danny, pointing at Sid.

"And I'm sure to no one's surprise, the recipient of the Mediterranean Cruise is none other than Sid Hammerback!"

Sid stood up so quickly he knocked his chair backwards. Everyone clapped as Sid skipped to the podium, beaming. Lindsay laughed as she clapped. _Only Sid. _

"And that concludes our Silent Auction! Thanks to everyone who was able to contribute – our finance department loves you dearly!" Fabrizzi smiled widely. "Before I let Christian take over again, just a small housekeeping item – a reminder to everyone not to drive tonight if you've been drinking – if you need to take a cab home, please come see me for a taxi chit. The department is glad to cover the costs of anyone trying to get home safely. Have a great rest of your night!"

More applause as Christian chose an upbeat number. Lindsay looked around – some guests had returned to the dance floor, others to the bar. A few of the older patrons were saying their goodbyes. Stella had mentioned that the last hour was usually the best, as the 'old fogies', to use her words, headed out immediately after the auction results, leaving only the younger portion of the department to close out the Gala.

"Well," said Danny, looking at Lindsay, "I know it's not a line dance, but care to head to the floor anyway?"

Lindsay replied with a smirk, then stood up and followed the rest of the team out to the dance floor. As she moved in beat with the music, Lindsay felt herself blush slightly, noticing Danny looking intently at her, smiling. _Damn him for looking so good,_ she thought.

Movement over Danny's right shoulder caught her attention, as she caught a glimpse of Vincent slowly making his way towards her through the dancing crowd.

"Shit," muttered Lindsay, slowing down and falling out of rhythm.

"What's up?" asked Danny, noticing the change. She motioned behind him with her head. He smoothly looked over his shoulder and saw who she was looking at… and the direction he was headed. He turned back to Lindsay, placing a hand on her hip and leaning towards her so she could hear him. "Come on," he said, "go towards the entrance." She turned, allowing him to direct her. "Be casual," she heard Danny say from behind her. She rolled her eyes. Sometimes Danny was just great at stating the obvious.

Lindsay carefully made her way through the dancing people, muttering excuse-mes and sorrys as she tried not to bump every person she passed. She could feel the warmth of Danny's hand on her hip, urging her forward. It took all of her willpower not to turn around to see if Vincent was following them, but it seemed Danny had already sought the answer to that question. "He's still following," he said quietly to the back of her head, "just keep walking. Trust me."

She nodded, finally exiting the crowd and making her way up the stairs. She tried to turn to face Danny, not sure where they were heading. "Danny, what—"

"Ssh!" Danny hissed at her, pushing her onwards. "Take your next right."

Lindsay looked forward and to the right – what right did Danny want her to take? Then, as she approached, she noticed a small archway. She doubted she would have noticed it if Danny hadn't pointed her attention towards it – the decorations and paintings made it blend in with the wall. Lindsay walked through and stopped, responding to the now-vacant spot on her hip where Danny's hand had been. She watched the few people walking in and out of the front entrance, not even noticing this archway in the wall; when you walked through the front doors, the magnificent banquet hall was what caught your attention, not this insignificant archway in a majestically-decorated entranceway.

Lindsay couldn't tell where this hallway headed. From the looks of it, her best guess was that it led to the offices of those that worked here. She turned her attention to Danny, who was peeking around the corner, obviously looking for Vincent. Lindsay drew in a breath, preparing to ask if Danny could see Vincent, when Danny turned around quickly, whispering "He's coming!"

Lindsay breathed in sharply, closing her eyes as Danny moved quickly into her, covering her from view, should Vincent happen to see the archway. The feeling of Danny around her, pressed against her, sent tingles screaming through her body – he just had this way about him that always made her feel calm, safe, protected, secure. Forcing herself out of her fantasies, she slowly opened her eyes and peeked around Danny, looking for Vincent. She caught a glimpse of him already past the archway, now outside the hall's front entrance. She glanced up at Danny, who was also looking over his shoulder. He turned his head back to face her, locking in her gaze with his bright, blue eyes. Something in his eyes struck a chord inside her, there was something different there, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Before she had the chance to contemplate the matter further, his lips were against hers, bringing to life the many times she had dreamt about kissing Danny. The world around her began to spin as the reality of the situation click in Lindsay's head – Danny was kissing her. _Danny_ was kissing her! And here she stood, too dumbfounded and surprised to respond. Then, just as quickly as it began, it ended. Lindsay forced her eyes open, and was faced with Danny looking at the ground, a tinge of pink embarrassment on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he began, but Lindsay came to her senses – she had been waiting so long for this to happen, too long to let Danny's insecurities ruin what had always felt so right. Without letting him finish, she closed the distance between them, her lips firmly against his. She let her one hand freely run through his short hair, the other remaining firmly pressed against his chest. None of her dreams had even remotely done justice to how amazing it felt to finally give into Danny Messer.

* * *

Peeking around the corner, Stella's words echoed in Danny's head: _Don't put yourself in a situation where you're going to regret not taking charge._ A part of him desperately wanted to be able to just bite the bullet and act on Stella's advice, but another part still held him back, the part of him that was insecure and afraid of rejection and of screwing up such a good thing… The part of him that was just plain scared. A familiar face snapped him back to reality – Vincent emerged from the sea of people and was striding with fortitude towards the steps to the entranceway. Danny quickly turned and drew Lindsay close to him, hiding her from view. Almost immediately the familiar smell of her shampoo filled his head, the same smell that captivated him when he had fallen asleep with her on her couch, and again when he danced with her… every time he was around her. Attempting to straighten out his thoughts, he risked a glance over his shoulder to find Vincent; he had just disappeared out the front doors to the hall. He turned back to Lindsay and immediately found himself lost in her deep, brown eyes. And all of a sudden, nothing else mattered, the insecure part of him shoved into a deep, dark corner of his mind. Damn the rules, and damn the consequences – he had been trying for so long to resist her, but she had a hold on him, reached a part of him that he didn't even know existed. He dipped his head down to her level and caught her lips in his, his hand gently squeezing the part of her back where it lay.

But it only took a second for his insecurities to break out of their shackles, immediately swarming his thoughts with doubt. _What the hell are you doing! Are you nuts! She's not even moving! _Danny quickly released Lindsay, gluing to the floor. What had once been determination and bravery had quickly vamped into awkwardness and discomfort. He had given into a moment's weakness… Had he just made a huge mistake?

He tried muttering a lame apology, only to find his words stolen from his mouth, the warmth he had just pushed away now back with a vengeance. It registered that _she_ was now kissing _him,_ with far more intensity than he could have imaginedHe allowed his instincts to take over, letting his second hand wrap around her petite frame, pulling her into him. Everything about her was so intense, so much more electrifying than anyone else he had been with. As her one hand held the back of his head firmly, he kissed her harder, all the uncertainties that once resided in his mind now completely evicted. _Even her kiss is perfect_, he thought to himself, absolutely lost in everything about her.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry it took forever to get this posted - had to get it exactly right. Please R&R and let me know how you liked (or didn't like) it!  
Thanks as always to Nikita, special thanks to Boleyn for helping Beta this chapter. :) 


	10. Chapter 10: Change Unexpected

**Chapter 10 – Change Unexpected **

Lindsay smiled as she looked out the window of the limousine, warmed by the touch of Danny's thigh against her leg. She couldn't help but replay the night over and over inside her head, each time widening her smile slightly more than the last. Her lips were still tingling as she remembered the feeling of Danny against her, holding her in a way that she had only been able to dream about, and even her dreams had not done the true feeling justice. She inhaled deeply, still able to pick up the faint scent of his cologne.

The others were all talking amongst themselves as the limo brought them back to the lab, allowing Lindsay the ability to get completely lost in her thoughts. The rest of the night had passed blissfully. The DJ had decided to close out the Gala with a slow, romantic song. Even though she had already danced with Danny once before that evening, the feeling of him this time around was different. There was a new feeling in his touch, in the way he held her, in the feeling of his breath hot against her cheek. The feelings they had both been skirting around for months had seemed to finally surface. Maybe it was just the atmosphere of the Gala, but Lindsay could not have asked for a more perfect ending to her evening.

She shivered as she stepped out of the limo, the crisp night air biting at her shoulders. Danny instinctively placed his jacket over her, not noticing the questioning gaze then playful smile from Flack (whose arm was around a familiar black strappy dress) as he observed the two. The group said hasty goodbyes, wanting to escape to the warmth of their respective cars. Before long, only Danny and Lindsay stood outside the lab, the only sounds being those of the New York streets at night.

"A ride home, Miss Monroe?" smiled Danny, gesturing to the parking garage of the lab where he had parked. Lindsay couldn't help but smile at the boyish grin occupying Danny's face. After nodding her approval, Lindsay took Danny's outstretched hand, squeezing it lightly as he led her out of the night's cold grasp.

* * *

Danny wasn't sure where it was going or how it would end, or if it even would end, but glancing back at Lindsay, he just enjoyed _her_. He could not have ever imagined that he would want to have someone by his side so strongly. He was used to keeping his women an arm's length away… but Lindsay was different. She changed the way he saw himself, the way he nearly lost all control when she was around. Stella was right – there was just something about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He smiled as she squeezed his hand.

Danny unlocked his car, pulling Lindsay towards him before opening the door. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but he found himself unable to string any coherent thoughts together. He inhaled as she responded to his arms around her waist by bringing her hands up to the back of his neck.

"Something you want to say to me, Messer?" smiled Lindsay, her voice soft. There was no hiding anything from her.

"Just this," he whispered, capturing her lips with his. It was the only way he could think of to express everything that was going through his mind. The softness of her lips, the tenderness of her touch startled him, even the second time around. He reluctantly pulled back for air, not wanting to let go of her. He smiled, slowly releasing her from his embrace, opening the car door and helping her inside. He walked around to the driver's side, then stopped for a moment before getting in himself. He was amazed at how out of the ordinary this whole situation was for him. The excitement of something so new and intense made him not want to let go, like a book he did not want to stop reading until he reached the end.

He sat down behind the wheel and started his car. He smiled at her, and taking her hand in his, they drove into the night.

Because like grains of falling sand in an hourglass, it really was only a matter of time.

* * *

**FIN.**

**

* * *

**

**Final A/N: **I hope you enjoyed this - please R&R to let me know your thoughts on the story overall - I had a lot of fun writing this, thanks for all the great reviews along the way! Special thanks to (as always) Nikita for a super job beta-ing, and to Boleyn for helping to Beta the last two chapters. :) **  
**


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